


Whispers in the Dark

by IllusionEvenstar



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Explicit Language, Graphic Sex, Hermaphrodites, Light BDSM, M/M, Mpreg, Multiple Canon Characters - Freeform, Orgy, Other, Pregnant Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Ritual Sex, Violence, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 04:29:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 92,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12380919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IllusionEvenstar/pseuds/IllusionEvenstar
Summary: Joey and his group of misfits have been blessed with a gift and are chosen to honour the deal made by their ancestors. But will it last when their intended would not be there for them for long? SetoxJoey, with side pairings.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One of my more successful fics I wrote in 2007. After surfing so many fanfic sites and reading so many Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics, I’ve decided I’d try writing one also. But due to the fact that I’m not exactly a true fan, more towards a true art appreciator (I like the artwork more than the story), I cannot call myself a fanfic writer unless I write something that I know of, so…to solve my problem, I created a Yu-Gi-Oh AU world, as everyone seemed to enjoy writing for Yu-Gi-Oh these days, based on an MPreg comic I used to draw back when I was in high school. So enjoy!

            Domino Island was getting into the heat of things as the annual fair came in. There were decorations like balloons, little mini flags, heart-shaped graffiti papers and more balloons everywhere and banners hanging all over the place bearing the words “BLESSED BE”. Every store was packed with things to sell, ranging from memorabilia and souvenirs, to local delicacies and game stands. The hustle-bustle of joy was infectious as everyone laughed and had a good time enjoying the fair, gorging themselves in food they get to eat only once a year and playing games and buying things until their hands couldn’t carry them all. It was the festival they have all been waiting for and there is not a single person who would want to miss this.

            Except a certain group of five who were now sitting in the middle of an empty classroom studying the most god awful and awkward subject in the entire history of education.

            It was no ordinary annual fair for Domino Island. In fact, it was technically not an annual fair, but a fair to celebrate the coming of the Whisperers. Since the dawn of time, humans have always been at a respectable coalition with the Ethereal Clan, a.k.a. the Elves and Ruler of the Outer Beings, and managed to sustain a balance of power between both sides of the world. Towards the Middle Ages, a dark colony the Duelist Phantoms ousted by the Ethereal Clan millenniums ago managed to break free from the Shadow Realm and waged war against the Ethereal Clan, holding humans as ransom for power of the Outer Beings. The war lasted for about 15 years before the leader of the Ethereal Clan Maximillion Pegasus and a mighty sorceror of the human clan Gozaburo managed to create a seal which banished the Duelist Phantoms into the Abyss, where no one dead or alive may able to escape. The Duelist Phantoms managed to be defeated, but they did not go down without leaving a “present” behind.

            Domino Island, along with the rest of the world, became a continent victimized by the Duelist Plague, in which all females are cursed with impotency and can no longer bear children, due to the fact that the Duelist Phantoms were mostly male and viewed females as the scum of Earth. Females began to dwindle from existence and doomed to live barren lives, unable to repopulate the world. There was no magic in the world that could undo this wretched curse, not even from the Ethereal Clan, and everyone had exhausted every means until they finally accepted that they were once again outwitted by the enemy.

            To make the remaining females happy, the men elevated them into a high-classed society and gave them high roles and positions in which they were allowed to do anything they please, even allowed to keep a harem of men to pleasure their every sexual fantasies, and chose a selected few to be granted by the Ethereal Clan the gift of immortality so they can continue to live out their lives rich and famous. The females were grateful for all that the men had done for them to make their lives comfortable, but the problem of repopulation was still hanging in the balance, and soothing the aching hearts of women alone was not enough to solve the fact that humans would soon cease to exist altogether.

            Maximillion Pegasus took pity over the human world’s predicament and decided to strike a deal with them. He promised that he would grant a group of people from each continent and their chosen descendants the ability to conceive, but they must mate with the Whisperers, a night clan of Outer Beings who were also in the brink of extinction because their females have also suffered the wrath of the Duelist Plague and died, for the Duelist Plague curse was fatal towards Ethereal people and Outer Beings. Running out of options, the representatives of the human world agreed to the terms and Maximillion Pegasus wasted no time into making his magic on the whole human world.

            Since that moment, after blessing the first group of men with the ability to conceive, every 5 years, certain families will be blessed with children who are born hermaphrodite. And when that happens, as soon as the children come of age, the families will put out fruit offerings at their front door as a sign for the Ethereal Clan to send the message to the Whisperers, and in turn, the Whisperers will send in healthy and able representatives to mate with them, thus maintaining the population of both sides.

            Which is why Joseph “Joey” Wheeler, Yugi Mutou, Tristan Taylor, Malik Ishtar and Ryou Bakura had to sit through hours of torture learning from Yugi’s grandfather, Solomon Mutou, the oldest and wisest of advisors to Mai Valentine, the Head of Domino Island.

            “Tell me again why da hell do we hafta go thru this hellfire,” Joey complained, propping his hand on his chin and trying to stifle a yawn.

            “Because, young man,” Solomon said as he threw a chalk at Joey, smacking him right on the forehead, “You and the others are the future of Domino Island and it is crucial that you learn everything there is to know about our history and your responsibilities at hand.”

            “We’re just gonna help some weirdo-s make babies, that’s all,” Tristan said outspokenly. “What’s the big deal?”

            “The big deal is that you have to fully understand the concept of pregnancy and child-raising, and also the background of the Whisperers who will sire your children. Having children is no laughing matter, Mr. Taylor. It’s a big responsibility, and you must take this matter seriously. Now where was I, Yugi?”

            “The part about our reproductive system,” Yugi replied, his face couldn’t go any redder as it was.

            “Right,” Solomon continued amidst the groans of the other four who were just as embarrassed as Yugi to be sitting here learning all this crap. “Basically you boys have a different form of anatomy than other boys. Instead of having testicle organs and all those sperm gathering around within it, your sac serve no more than just the purpose to contain some of the complicated veins and arteries associated with urination and are connected to your bladder where you dump all your bodily fluids. In its place, resting right behind your bladder,” he pointed with his rod at a diagram of the reproductive organs of a hermaphrodite, earning a few groans of disgust from the teens, “is a uterus which serves as the main point of reproduction where you will carry the Whisperers’ child to term. Just like a woman used to have, you will experience orgasms that sometimes I must admit men are jealous of.

            “One note to you that the Whisperers will only appear twice: once during the mating hour and once during the delivery of the child, so don’t expect too much out of them being attached to you. Once you and the Whisperers’ seed finally combine, it will form and develop into a child just as a woman used to when they’re pregnant. When you have carried the child to term, contractions will come in, and I won’t lie to you, it will hurt like hell. But with proper training and breathing beforehand, where you will soon learn from our trained midwives, you can bet the pain will less unbearable. The baby will be born through a canal serving as your vagina which is located between your penis and your anus. Any questions before I move on to the next topic?”

            Ryou raised his hand, and spoke as soon as Solomon gave permission, “Sir, how will our children look like?”

            “Well, there is a 50-50 chance that it will come out looking like a human or a Whisperer. It’s all by chance, really. But it would not change the fact that they will be a Halfling, human or not.”

            “What if we don’t succeed?” Malik asked. “What if we don’t get knocked up, since they’re only gonna fuck us once?”

            “Watch your language, Mr. Ishtar,” Solomon said warningly, then continued, “to answer your question, you won’t have to worry. Whisperer seed is very potent. They are not known to shoot blanks. Their rate of, as you call it, ‘knocking people up’ is 100 percent. And they have been known to sire multiples, so expect to have more than one child growing inside you.”

            “Crap…” Joey cursed, not exactly wanting to know this piece of information.

            “How long does our pregnancy last?” Yugi asked.

            “Actually a midwife can tell you that accurately, but in my knowledge, it is an average of 6 to 7 months, so expect a belly growth spurt.”

            “So who will have custody of the child once they are born? Do we get to keep them or will the Whisperers take them away?”

            “This is something I plan to teach you guys later in the lesson, but since Yugi brought up the subject,” Solomon said as he scratched his chin, “you’ll have to be prepared for this. During the delivery, your Whisperer mate will come together with Seth, the head of the Whisperer clan to inspect the child to decide whether the child should stay with you or the Whisperer. Seth has a keen sense of smell to determine the custody, and if he smells that your child is Whisperer-dominant, they will take your child, and vice versa. I’m sorry if this may upset you, should you feel any attachment towards the child, but this has always been the way of things. It is the deal that Maximillion Pegasus and the human reps struck centuries ago, and there’s nothing to change this sacred bond.”

            “I hope my kid is Whisperer-dominant,” Tristan muttered. “There is NO way you’re seeing me caring for a brat!”

            “I’d beg to differ, Mr. Tristan,” Solomon said, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve seen many kids like you saying the same thing, only to be crying like the world has ended when the Whisperers decided their children are Whisperer-dominant.”

            “Not me, I assure you,” Tristan growled indignantly.

            “Why do we hafta get knocked up by some no good weirdo-s anyways?” Joey asked. “Can’t we just pick any guy here n let ‘em knock us up? I’ll haf ya know that I haf a few friends who actually are in love wif each other, not ‘em weirdo-s.”

            “True,” Solomon replied, “but before they decide to indulge themselves in humanly love, they must go through this process. Every child born hermaphrodite has to partake in this occasion to honour the deal we made with Maximillion Pegasus. It is the Unbreakable Law. After that, they are free to do as they please. If those friends of yours ended up breaking up after going through this occasion, I dare say their love for each other is not strong enough. Now then, the next lesson: The Whisperers’ anatomy.”

            As Solomon droned on and on, Joey glared with a vengeance at the sample picture of a Whisperer. It didn’t look that much different than a normal human, but they were taller, more built and they had huge bat-like wings that, when spread, could almost cover you whole. In short, Whisperers look like half-human-half-gargoyles. Joey cursed inwardly; he had dreaded this day ever since he was told by his parents when he was ten that he was a hermaphrodite and is destine to honour the deal and the human population with the sacred duty of bearing offspring for humans and Whisperers alike. It’s already bad enough that you are told the whole world’s hope lie on your shoulder. To think that you are actually gonna do it with some total stranger you have never met and only gonna be around twice in your life was cramping up his style even worse. It was like as if he was no different than a baby-making machine, a fuck toy you can just use and discard anytime you please.

            As soon as Solomon finished teaching about both their anatomy and the Whisperers’, Joey almost made a mad dash out of the classroom, wanting to get away from it all. If it weren’t for his best friends calling after him, he would’ve just made a run for it and lead himself to goodness knows where. It was a sort of habit of his whenever he gets mad—he would just let his feet guide him wherever they want to be and only stop when fatigue takes over. Sometimes he would end up running all the way to the dark forests where the Whisperers were rumoured to live in. He can still remember the name: Yami Forest, named after obvious reasons. The first time he stopped there, he had a quarrel with his parents after knowing of his upcoming duty to society and ran like he just didn’t care. The last thing he remembered seeing before his mother finally caught up with him and took him home was a pair of glowing blue orbs staring at him as cold as ice.

            “Wait up, Jo,” Tristan said as he caught up with him. “We promised to go to the pizza parlour to meet up with Tea, remember?”

            Joey grinned slightly as he recalled the girl with blood reddish-black hair telling them she had something to give them at the pizza parlour.

            “Sorry, musta slipped m’mind.”

            “Well, come on, Joey,” Yugi said as he linked his arms around Joey’s. “Let’s not keep that princess waiting.”

            Soon, the group of five chattered their way towards the pizza parlour, not knowing that at a dark corner of the tower of the school they were forced to stay back in for that 3 hour-long lecture, two pair of eyes the colour of ice-blue and dark lavender were staring intently at them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this section, we will delve deeper into Joey and his gang’s history and family background, and more towards the expansion and explanation of their sacred duty. Some of them may not fit the original characteristics of Yu-Gi-Oh, but since you’re reading this, you’re already forewarned that this is an AU fic. So enjoy!

            “Oi! Over here, boys!”

            Yugi spotted Tea waving at them at the end of the parlour and waved back, running briskly towards her. The rest followed suit behind him, smiling and waving briefly at her as well before taking their seat. A few people in the parlour noticed them entering and had a hopeful smile on each and every one’s faces as they stole a glance at the five who were clad in their school uniform.

            “Order whatever you want, boys. It’s on me,” Tea announced as she did her hair. Fashion personified, Tea Gardner was dressed in the nine with her black midriffs and denim jeans, with matching necklace and earrings and a pair of obviously branded high-heeled white sandals. Everything on her screamed high-classed from head to toe. As personal assistant and lover of Mai Valentine and one of the Immortals, she ruled over Domino Island throughout the ages as second-in-command and had been helping Mai to run the affairs of her people, personally meeting them and dealing with their daily problems and needs. She present them all to Mai to be evaluated and judged before she is given the instruction to do whatever Mai thought was best for the island. She was the messenger, the middle-man, the executioner of deeds and everything in between. No one really knew how old Tea really was, but Yugi did remember Tea was blessed as an Immortal when she was 16, and she was nowhere near the thought of revealing her true age, self-conscious as she was.

            “Thanks, Tea,” Yugi beamed as he grabbed the menu to see what was in store. “You’re a saint.”

            Yugi had always viewed Tea as his big sister. Solomon and her go way back when Solomon just started to be one of Mai’s many advisors, and Yugi had known her since he was a baby. Being the little miniature boy with body that screams feminine and facial features that were more beautiful than handsome, he was more than just a turn-on for every pure men that set eyes on him. Everyone desired him despite his tri-coloured spikey hair and dark ruby eyes that totally contrasted with his feminine looks. His parents were a tiny branch from the family tree under the late sorceror Gozaburo, and it was the magic that caused it to display the tri-colour hair. Both his parents worked as exorcists and had worked alongside with people from the Ethereal Clan to exorcise evil spirits that terrorized Domino Island, especially Bad Seeds, who were Outer Beings gone bad. When Yugi’s ‘mother’, a hermaphrodite before him, was pregnant with Yugi, a Bad Seed was released by a person who was obsessed with black cults and it wrecked havoc upon the island. Both Yugi’s parents managed to defeat the Bad Seed, but at the cost of their lives. Everyone thought Yugi would die in his ‘mother’s womb, but as the coroner performed the autopsy, Yugi miraculously survived, though premature, and was doted and almost spoiled rotten by Solomon, with Tea as his means of discipline, preventing him from being a spoiled brat.

            “Got stuck with the ‘rite to manhood’ speech again, aren’t we?”

            “Don’t even remind me!” Tristan groaned as he picked a meat-lover pizza set. “That old man’s been drilling us like it’s the 4th of July.”

            Tristan, on the other hand, was an outspoken guy who speaks his mind like Joey does and wouldn’t settle for anything less. Being the jock of the school and head of many sport clubs, he reigned supreme over all those physically weak against them with his strong built and pointed brown hair with a dash of black on the tip. If he sees potential in anyone, he would drill them into perfection with questionable methods even a PE teacher wouldn’t dare recommend, yet in the end became a pioneer in bringing out the best in every athlete in school with their prestigious results in any sport competition held. But despite his brash and rude attitude, he was a softy within. Having fashion designers for parents, he refused to succumb into the world of prissy, sassy and sappy superficial lifestyle and put up a hard exterior to show that he was not someone to be messed with, but in private, he was a sucker for plushies and cute cuddly animals. Back at his home he had a whole collection of cuddly animals that he was unwilling to part with even though he was already 16, and he has two puppies and two kittens at home for pets, suffering his wrath of glomping and nuzzling everyday after school

            “Well, technically, you can consider this a sort of 4th of July event, since it is, after all, the day everyone’s been waiting for.”

            “I dinna hafta be told twice by someone other than m’parents,” Joey grumbled as he ordered the Hawaiian special pizza set, remembering the words his parents said to him when he was issued a formal letter to attend Solomon’s after-school lecture.

            In truth, Joey’s parents weren’t exactly related to him of flesh and blood. He was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler when his real parents died when he was just a toddler. His ‘mom’ was also a hermaphrodite and had gone through the mating ritual with the Whisperers before marrying his father and gave birth to Joey. He recalled having a sister named Serenity—hermaphrodites can give birth to baby girls due to their double chromosome of XX and XY, but the girls are usually born barren due to the curse—but didn’t recall the night his ‘mother’, devastated by the fact that his father had committed suicide due to acute depression, threw his sister and himself into the sea to die, leaving Joey all alone unattended in his crib. When Tea and her secretary Miho made their rounds at Domino Island, he was found almost emaciated and near death. Mr. and Mrs Wheeler, who had always wanted a child but could not due to the Duelist Plague, was more than willing to take custody of Joey, and gave him their surname.

            “Speaking of your parents, how are they?” Tea asked.

            “Chipper ’s usual,” Joey replied in a mock sarcastic tone, “even tho Dad loves drinkin’ beer more than water and Mom bin ‘n obsessive-compulsive clean-freak perfectionist. At the rate they’re goin’, they’d be lucky they’re still a-livin’.”

            “Observant as usual, I see,” Tea giggled, knowing that Joey never really mean it at heart whatever he said. “Just the ol’ Joey I know.”

            “God, the seat of my pants hurt just sitting there and listening to all that rubbish. I mean, half of those things we pretty much know anyways through our parents. I don’t see the whole point of re-learning everything again,” Ryou said as he rubbed his butt before ordering his vegetarian pizza set.

            Ryou was actually not from Domino Island, but from somewhere in England. His father was a traveling businessman who often loved to search for job opportunities where he can sell his wonderful merchandizes of worship and tribute to the Ethereal Clan. When he noticed that the focal point of most Whisperers were in Domino Island as their border were closer towards the Ethereal Clan and a starting point for all Whisperers, he immediately took his ‘mother’ and migrated there, setting up a stall there and had been there ever since. When his ‘mother’ gave birth to Ryou, he was sure that he had made the right choice to settle down in Domino Island as he had been praying for a blessing from the Ethereal Clan to bless Ryou with the power to conceive. Like Yugi, every inch of his body, from his silver hair to his sparkling brown eyes, to his polite stature and spoken words, to his almost feminine body structure, screamed beautiful, and was the object of everyone’s affection. If it weren’t the tougher men like Joey, Tristan and Malik to fight them off, Yugi and Ryou would’ve lost their virginities long before the mating ritual, as people require hermaphrodites to be virgin, pure and untainted.

            “The whole point of re-learning those is to refresh your memories of what is to come,” Tea replied. “You’re all 16 now, at an age where you’re legal to be married without having parents consent. You guys bear the responsibility of the whole world in its quest to repopulate the world, and it’s been a while since we have more than 10 hermaphrodites who have come of age this year, what with the recent birth rate being only 3 hermaphrodites out of the 200 children born 5 years ago. Consider yourself lucky that you’re not hounded and overprotected like those 3 kids. I heard they were so overprotected that the parents won’t even allow them to set half a foot outside the door at all for fear of something happening to them.”

            “OK, I guess that’s a consolation, sort of,” Malik said as he chose a 3-layer cheese pizza set.

            Malik, as his name portrayed, was also as foreigner like Ryou. His parents were important middle-people between the Ethereal Clan and the human society. In fact, it was his Egyptian ancestor who was one of the representatives of the human society who made the deal with Maximillion Pegasus centuries ago, and was also one of the selected few to receive the gift of conception. His ‘mother’, after doing the ritual, fell in love with his father, who was a local in Domino Island, when he came to the island to clear his mind of his loss of his child who had to be taken by the Whisperers because it was Whisperer-dominant, and stayed in Domino Island as a permanent resident where he gave birth to Malik. Malik inherited his ‘mother’s dark Egyptian skin and purple eyes and his father’s silver blonde hair, and was rather rebellious, especially after he learnt from his parents of the fact that he was a hermaphrodite and a key to the future of human population. He often enjoyed hurting himself to make him remember that he was his own person and not some Golden Boy waiting to save the world. Although he never resolve to cutting himself like self-destructive people do when they’re depressed, he relished any challenge that can cause bodily pain, which includes picking fights and becoming Yugi and Ryou’s bodyguard against hormone-crazed pure men. The last time he hurt himself was going to a tattoo parlour where he picked intricate and detailed symbols from Egyptian sarcophagi and told the tattoo artist to tattoo all of them onto his back on the spot. It earned him a sound scolding and 2 months of grounding, but it was worth the pain.

            Tea watched as the boys chattered among themselves and ate their fill. She noticed that these kids have been together since junior high after knowing of each other’s fate. She realized that they have a few things in common: One, they were hermaphrodites; two, they had hermaphrodites as ‘mothers’ who have gone through the mating ritual before marrying their fathers and gave birth to them; three, they were one way or another related to a Whisperer-dominant brother (as all children sired from a Whisperer are either pure male or hermaphrodite); and four, they were of the same age and the same puberty rate, with only a few month difference in between. They, along with the other 10 hermaphrodites, have come to age and prepared for the mating ritual and were some of the many young hormone-bathed teenagers who hate the idea of doing it with someone they didn’t know and bear the burden of the world on their shoulders, although there were a few minorities who were actually thrilled and impatient for this day to come. Every adult knew that it was too much to ask of these teenagers to do the one thing that they were supposed to reserve for the person they love, but to break the deal and the bond between humans and the Ethereal Clan is to ask for death for both themselves and their hermaphrodite children, and if they break the deal, humans will cease to exist and the world would plunge into the darkness of universal imbalance. It was a risk too high to chance.

            “So, Tea,” Yugi asked, breaking Tea from her muse. “What is it that you want us to get from you?”

            “Oh, I almost forgot,” Tea replied as she reached down to her handbag. She fished out five dangling dog-tags like those worn by soldiers during the war and gave them one each. The five took them and saw their names engraved on the tags and small teardrop-shaped casing stuck just below their names containing a ruby-coloured substance.

            “What are these?” Tristan asked as he studied his dog-tag.

            “Those are clearance pass to one of Ms. Valentine’s personal favourite spas, Domino Perfecture Spa and Beauty Saloon, where you all will be prepped and ready for tomorrow night’s ritual,” Tea replied. “You and the rest of your fellow hermaphrodites will be given special permission to be absent from school tomorrow and gather at the spa to be given state-of-the-art first class treatment and then go to Valentino Regalia Hotel, owned by our Ms Mai Valentine, of course, to be given designated rooms and then be approached by the Whisperers.”

            “Oh, Tea, you shouldn’t have!” Ryou exclaimed, rather overwhelmed by the sudden red carpet treatment. “We can always prepare ourselves at home and all that. Our parents should know…”

            “It’s compulsory for everyone, I’m afraid. It is a big event, and this is a big thing, so we have to prepare you guys as much as possible. It’s the least we can do for making you guys go through it. Everyone else has already taken their tag. I just feel it necessary to give them to you personally.”

            “Woah, thanks, Tea! I mean, woah! Domino Perfecture Spa and Beauty Saloon _and_ Valentino Regalia Hotel! This is _way_ beyond awesome!”

            “How do we know it’s foolproof?” Malik asked skeptically. “Anyone can just take our stuff and impersonate us. How can they confirm we are the right one?”

            “Oh, it’s 100 percent foolproof alright,” Tea said as she pointed at the casing. “See that thing? It contains a sample of your blood where you have to run through a blood-scanning machine and will display detailed information about yourself, including your picture. Every hermaphrodite born is taken of their blood sample when they’re babies and their information updated from time to time, so there is no cheating the system. Even if you have someone do plastic surgery to look like you and let them use the tag, we will be able to know as they have to pass through a body-scanning machine as well to detect whether you are hermaphrodite or pure male. So don’t even think of any bright ideas, especially you three.”

            Joey, Tristan and Malik grumbled silently as they pocketed their tags with a grudge. Tea didn’t need to be a genius to know that these three would be the first few who would want to look for a scapegoat.

            “Miho and I will be personally supervising the treatment tomorrow, so I expect you boys to be there by 10am sharp,” Tea said, then looked at her watch and continued, “I gotta run now. Got a lot of paperwork to be done and spa services and hotel rooms to be booked. Enjoy your meal! See ya boys tomorrow!”

            “See ya!” the five replied simultaneously as they watched Tea walking up to the cashier counter, flashing out her credit card and paying for their meal. It was definitely a privilege to be a woman these days where you can afford almost anything and do almost anything you want with the financial power and status you have, but all that and unable to truly experience a lifetime of not being able to bear the child of the person you love is definitely something you wish to forgo for all the gold in the world, and it was a plight the five could slightly feel for.

            “I guess being a hermaphrodite does have its occasional perks,” Ryou said as he took out his tag and studied it again. “If being pampered from head to toe for a day before doing the big thing, it shouldn’t be so bad.”

            “I thought you were with us, Ryou,” Malik said as he slapped his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’re actually starting to _like_ the idea of being screwed by a weirdo!”

            “Well, no, but…if it’s for the good of the society, it shouldn’t be as bad as we think it is…”

            “Don’t start going softy already!” Tristan exclaimed, almost startling everyone present in the parlour. He lowered his voice and continued, “We’re in it together, don’t you get it? We’ve made a pack to be Whisperer-haters for life! What’s the matter with you?!”

            “Don’t be so hard on Ryou,” Yugi, the ever ‘friendship forever’ little munchkin, backed Ryou up. “I’m sure everything is very confusing for him right now, what with the upcoming ritual and the sudden red carpet treatment and all.”

            “Yeah, well, you better get it through your straight little skull that we are not going to succumb to this sort of rubbish,” Joey growled. “As soon as those weirdo-s knock us up, we’re gonna pray to the Ethereal Clan that our kid would be Whisperer-dominant so that we don’t have to keep them. And I don’t care if it takes every day or every second to make it clear to them that we are not keeping the kids; I’m gonna do it!”

            “You said it, Joey,” Malik said. “I’ll bring some extra prayer stuff from my parents to make it extra effective, and you too, Ryou!”

            “O…OK…” Ryou replied, a little reluctant. He knew better than to incur Malik’s wrath.

            Yugi just sighed, grinned a little and shook his head, thinking, ‘How the heck did I end up with them?’


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we will see our friends be totally pampered before the night’s real deal. Forgive me in advance for the upcoming long chapter. For the record, I used Ms. Lynn Medusa (Ms. Chono in her Japanese name, the one who expels students in the manga Vol #1) as the head of spa because I thought it would be quite suitable, since she’s all about beauty, and I used Mr. Hobson (Seto’s butler) as the man in charge of records coz…well…I couldn’t think of anyone else… ^^;

            “Joey? Joey dear, time to get up.”

            “Gimme 5 more minutes, Ma…”

            Mrs. Wheeler was not going to give her son the luxury of sleeping in, as much as she loved and doted at him till no end. She came into the room, pulled the curtains to let the bright sunlight in and removed Joey’s blanket without a second’s notice, leaving Joey facing the wrath of the cold autumn morn and the rays of the sun that shone high in the sky directly at his face.

            “Ma~!!! Would it _kill_ ya to lemme haf mah beauty rest?!”

            “Joseph Wheeler, it’s about high-time you get out of the bed and get yourself ready for the grooming sessions! It’s already 9.30 in the morning and you’re supposed to be there by 10! The sun’s about to bake your little butt cheeks if you don’t get up! Besides, your friends are already downstairs waiting for you.”

            Joey groaned and practically crawled on his hands and knees out of the bed to the bathroom as his mother helped him make the bed. He lazily took a dump, brushed his teeth, washed his face and did his hair. By the time he was done, he was urged by the knock on the door to hurry up and saw that there were his clothes for the day waiting for him on the bed to be worn.

            “Yo, mornin’, guys.”

            “You should be saying ‘Good morning’, boy.”

            Joey winced as he was greeted by his father’s stern voice and whack on the head. He maybe loved and well doted on by his parents, but there is no say that he should be spared the rod whenever he needed discipline, and his father definitely can pack a mean punch when he needs to be reminded that he was to follow the rules if he was to remain under one roof with his parents.

            “Ouch! Geez, Pa! No wonder my grades are gettin’ down!” Joey groaned as he rubbed his throbbing head. Mr. Wheeler shook his head in disapproval.

            “One of these days I’m going to have to send you for articulation classes. You speak worse than your Grandpa!”

            The four friends who were waiting for Joey in the living room heard every word and tried to stifle their laughs. No matter how many times they see Joey and his father bicker at each other, they could never stop finding amusement between them. Though not related of flesh and blood, Joey and Mr. Wheeler had the same outspoken and blatant characteristics. They enjoyed getting at each other’s necks and grumble and yell at each other like cats and dogs, but they all know it was just all for show. They could tell that they were very close and whoever ended up in trouble, the other would not hesitate to step out and help in whatever way they can. They remembered the day Mr. Wheeler’s liquor business almost went bankrupt because of mutiny between him and his business partner, and the day when Joey got beaten up terribly because of him trying to protect Yugi from being tainted by just another daily group of hormone-crazed pure men. The ferocity of Joey and Mr. Wheeler trying to help each other as Joey went and challenged his father’s traitor of a business partner into a bet (which he won, of course) and Mr. Wheeler personally going to each and every house of those pure men and scolded the devils out of their parents was not to be reckoned with.

            “Here’s your bed clothes and your toiletries,” Mrs. Wheeler came out with a duffel bag for Joey. “And also I packed in some comic books just in case you get bored, and your MP3 player should you want to listen to some music to calm your nerves, and I have a couple of snacks…”

            “Alright, alright, Ma!” Joey exclaimed as he took the duffel bag almost hurriedly from her. “I get the point!”

            “Oh, Joey. I’m…I’m so sorry you have to go through this, really I am,” Mrs. Wheeler bawled as she threw her arms around her son and hugged him like she had never hugged anyone before, sobbing like a little girl. The four friends watched awkwardly as Mrs. Wheeler practically squeezed the life out of him.

            “OK, OK, Ma, ya suffocatin’ me…”

            “Come on, woman,” Mr. Wheeler came over and pried his wife off his son. “Your boy is just going to fulfill his ancestral deal, is all. You’ll see him again tomorrow. It’s not like he’s going to war or anything.”

            “What he said, Ma,” Joey tried to catch his breath after being snuffed out of it for so long.

            “Make us proud, son.”

            “I will, Pa. See ya, folks.”

            The four bid Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler goodbye before leaving the house. As soon as they’re far enough, Yugi said, “Wow, your mom sure loves you very much.”

            “Too much, I’m afraid,” Joey groaned, rolling his eyes.

            “It’s no wonder,” Ryou commented. “Unlike my family, you’re the only kid they got, and it’s not like they can have anymore children. I feel for your mother too.”

            “She ain’t need ta worry so much. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

            “So how’s about some breakfast before we get to that spa place?” Tristan suggested.

            “You guys haven’t had breakfast too?” Ryou asked.

            “Nope,” Malik shook his head. “Like you, Joey, we were shaken the marbles off us from the bed and told to hurry and get dressed to go to the spa. Yugi was the first to wake and he fetched Ryou and Tristan first before getting to me. You were the last one on his to-do list.”

            “Well, Grandpa said that our breakfast will be provided by the spa, or more like lunch, coz as soon as we get there, they will start all that beautification process and whatnot and it had to be done on an empty stomach, so we’re mostly having to wait until lunch time before we get to eat anything.”

            “Ah, great,” Joey grumbled. “Imma gonna starve to death by da time they’re done wif me!”

            “Don’t worry your horses off, Jo,” Tristan said as he stretched his lazy bones. “I’m sure they won’t let that happen to us Golden Boys of the future.”

\--:--

            If they said Domino Perfecture Spa and Beauty Saloon was very exclusive, they made too much of an understatement. As the five friends joined the other 10 of their kind to the designated spa where they will soon go through the pampering and beautification process, they soon learnt that the spa was more than just grand and exclusive and all out for the high-ups.

            Domino Perfecture Spa and Beauty Saloon had always been catering for those who can afford it, especially the women who enjoy a little pampering every now and then. The building stood about four floors high and it was almost as big as half a football field. The walls are smooth and sparkly with the colour of warm hue that would relax even the tensest person in the world. Decorated with beautiful pictures and art of sceneries and masterpieces from the greatest artists known in the world and floors tiled in marble, it was a perfect sight to behold as everyone drank in their surroundings in awe. All the workers there who came to greet them at the entrance wore perfectly iron-pressed pink and blue uniforms and all of them had award-winning smiles that could blind a person even though they’re wearing shades. Their services, as displayed on their gold-plated service board on the wall, ranged from hair styling, full body massages, manicures and pedicures, body de-toxing and slimming programs. But for this auspicious day, the services were going to be much, much special, which the five and their 10 fellow hermaphrodites would soon find out.

            At the service counter, Yugi could see Tea and Miho talking in their important manner to the head of the spa and her workers. He waved lightly at her to catch her attention and got a friendly wave as a reply before she put on her business-like expression. Yugi knew that when she started going into that mode, there was no room for jokes and playing around. He timidly joined his other friends in line and waited for what was about to come.

            “Good morning, boys. I see that you’re all here. Now if you would follow Ms. Lynn Medusa here, she will show you to your designated rooms where you would be treated, pampered and beautified for tonight’s big event. Please show your tags to Mr. Hobson to be scanned and pass through that body-scanning machine before entering the spa arena. That’ll be all, boys. Enjoy your day.”

            So saying, she, Miho and the head of the spa, whose name Tea introduced as Ms. Lynn Medusa, ushered the boys towards Mr. Hobson, the man in charge of keeping the hermaphrodites’ records and bio-data, seated at the end of the service counter armed with a machine which the boys can only guess is the tag scanner. One by one, the boys held their tags over the scanner and walked through the body-scanning machine to double-check and see if they are who they really are and not some scapegoat doing a hermaphrodite’s dirty work. Everyone got the clear green light from every scan and Ms. Lynn Medusa took over, leading them to their first service of the day.

            First off, they were all taken to the massage room where they were massaged from head to toe by some of the most skilled masseuse of Domino Island. Since Joey, Tristan and Malik spent most of their lives fighting and doing the rough stuff, it was something they’d always wished for. Yugi was afraid that his bones would be broken and he’d be karate-chopped into mince meat when he was assigned to a rather burly-looking masseuse who claims to be imported from Italy, but was surprised by how gentle and soothing he was as his fingers worked their magic on his tiny frame. Next, after a 10-minutes rest to get their bodies back together, they were taken to the facial room where they were given facial massages and some health masks to replenish the skin and relax their facial muscles. Yugi and Ryou, and some other feminine-looking hermaphrodites, were born for it, but people like Joey, Tristan and Malik, they looked like sissies with their blue-coloured health masks on and it was hilarious that they wanted to complain about the ridiculous situation they’re in but could not for fear of cracking it and getting reprimanded by Ms. Medusa. Yugi and Ryou had to fight hard not to laugh at them.

            After washing their faces, they were taken to another room where it is their bodies turn to be lathered on with nutritional mud by dunking everything except their heads into a huge warm tub of grey mud and their naked bodies covered all over from the neck down. It was said that the mud they were ‘trapped’ in came from countries where volcano eruption often happened, and was taken straight from the foot of the volcano and, mixed with herbal water, was known to have very high nutritional and medicinal values to the skin. This time it was worse than having facial masks on because it is their whole body that was not allowed to move. The stronger boys could handle it—they had been punished by their teachers to stand outside the corridor holding two buckets full of water with their arms outstretched to either side without the luxury of moving about, no thanks to their tendencies to come to school late or start fights with the pure men to protect Yugi and Ryou—but the lesser of them felt like it was torture beyond compare. Ryou couldn’t help complaining and Yugi kept asking “Are we done yet?” so many times, even Malik lost count. By the time they were done, Yugi and Ryou practically struggled to get out, as if they were stuck in quicksand, and was relieved when they were hosed down by the workers with luke warm water.

            After that, they were led to the bathing room where there was a huge basin built in on the floor filled with warm water and the workers there dashing a considerable amount of roses and sandalwood into it. The fragrance alone was enough to lure everyone to throw away their robes and dip in. Once they were in and settled into the heat, the five made a few small talks with their fellow hermaphrodites to get to know each other briefly. Finally, they were taken to the saloon room where they had their hair done to their liking and were given a full set manicure and pedicure while the hairdressers tend to their hair. All the boys were happy as they finally get to play around with their hair when their parents did not allow them to. Some wanted their hair dyed or have hair extensions, and some wanted to cut them short or have their long hair styled in their dream looks. The five want their hair to maintain the way it was with a just a little trimming at the ends or two, except that Ryou requested the hairdresser to tie his hair the same style as the actor Orlando Bloom when he played Legolas in LOTR, earning the rest of his friends a huge sweat drop on the head. There was no persuading this LOTR fan otherwise. But then again, Ryou was at least better than some of their fellow hermaphrodites who wanted their hair done in the outrageous way possible, from dyeing their hair with crazy multi-colours worse than Yugi’s to literally shaving it bald to styling their hair in a way that it was quite obvious too much hair gel was used.

            By the time they were done, they looked refreshed and almost different than they used to. Tea and Miho inspected them one by one, nodding in approval at those decently groomed and shook her head, sighed and smiled weakly at those who find it amusing to have their hair looked like they just came back from La La Land, but said nothing. It was their choice and they will have to live and answer for it. Her job was just to make sure Ms. Lynn Medusa and her staff did their job well.

            “I see you all are in tip-top shape now,” Tea said as she inspected the last person. “Well then, now that you’re all prepped and groomed, you will go in groups of five into our prepared limo outside the spa to be taken to the Valentino Regalia Hotel and to be checked in to your respective rooms. A lavish buffet dinner is there waiting for you all, so please go to Mr. Hobson to collect your luggage and go to the entrance to your designated limos.”

            At the word ‘dinner’, the boys spared no time in rushing to Mr. Hobson who had been looking after everyone’s luggage while they were being groomed and grabbed their belongings before making a dash out of the spa to the black limos parked outside the entrance, waiting to be taken to the hotel to have their fill. The drivers were already standing in wait beside the passenger seat door to help the boys open it and let them in. It was about a 20 minute drive from the spa to the hotel, as the hotel is located somewhere up the mountains, but once they got there, they were awestruck by the classy 6-star hotel towering before them and the decors befitting a 6-star hotel dazzled their eyes and mind till no end.

            Tea and Miho, who reached the hotel first in their own car, led the boys to the service counter where they checked in and were given keys to their respective rooms. Again, as usual, someone was there to scan their tags and their bodies to make sure there is no foul play. The boys realized there was something different about the way their rooms were designated.

            “Yo, Tea,” Joey called out. “Why are our rooms all starting from the 5th floor and above? All the rooms from 4th floor and below are all empty. Why can’t we have those rooms?”

            “That’s because Whisperers are flight creatures,” Tea replied. “Remember how they look like when Solomon gave you that after-school lecture about Whisperers? They prefer that they have some place higher to land than going all the way to the ground or take the lift like us. They’re not used to our technology and prefer the old school way. Besides, the 4th floor and below are all reserved for my staff and I, and also all the staff of this hotel to sleep in as they’re going to be serving us all night until the ritual is done. We have this whole hotel to ourselves, might as well make use of the space.”

            After reminding everyone that dinner would be on at 6pm, everyone took the elevator group by group and went to their assigned rooms. Their floors were arranged to the alphabetical order of their surnames, so Ryou Bakura was designated to the 5th floor while 3 other boys with D and F surnames were designated to the 6th floor. Malik Ishtar was designated to the 7th floor, two boys with L surnames on the 8th floor, and Yugi Mutou with one boy with an M surname was on the 9th floor. Two boys with O surnames were designated to the 10th floor. Tristan Taylor, along with one boy with a T surname also, was assigned to rooms on the 11th floor. Joey Wheeler, the only people with a W surname were sent to the 12th floor.

            “At least it’s not the 13th floor,” Joey muttered as he got off and entered his room No. 1205. “My luck is already as bad enough as it is just being here.”

            Joey threw his duffel bag onto the bed and surveyed the area. His bed was a Victorian-based canopy bed with nice blood-red roses of all sizes decorating the sheets, the quilt, the pillow case and the head of the bed as well. The floor was lined with very smooth carpet that felt like cat’s fur and was adorned with dark red and brown cushions seated in front of a widescreen TV. The window looked out to the sea, framed by the pale pink curtain that had frills at the end of it. Had he known the nature of his ‘mother’ and sister’s death, he would’ve loathed the sight of sea, but he was spared from knowing the truth. It was painful enough to know your parents are no longer in the world; to know the nature of their death was too much.

            As he continued to survey the area, he noticed that his room was connected to the next room through a huge oak door. He shuddered to think that if the Whisperer came to visit, he would go through that door. He checked the wardrobe and found a satin robe along with a few bathing robes bearing the logo of the hotel and a dark blue yukata in it, with a note attached. He took down the note and immediately recognized Tea’s signature on the printed letter.

***

_To whom it may be concern,_

_I assume that once you’re reading this note, you have seen what clothes are prepared for you. Here’s the long and short of it:_

**_Bathing robes –_ ** _To be worn while you are a resident of this hotel_

 **_Satin robe –_ ** _To be worn tonight before you go to bed for the mating ritual_

 **_Dark blue yukata –_ ** _To be worn tomorrow morning as you leave the hotel as a symbol that you have already completed the mating ritual_

_Yours truly, Tea Gardner_

*** 

            “Trust Tea to prepare everything,” Joey chuckled as he took off his shirt and jeans and put on the bathing robe, and put on his pajama pants just in case he ended up getting any “accidents”. He walked to check out the bathroom to see that it was almost like a smaller version of the bathing room where they had their rose and sandalwood hot bath with its bathtub built-in on the floor, squeaky marble tiles, washing sink and toilet. Joey grinned at the prospect of Tristan trying to ‘get off’ at this bathroom or maybe daring enough to persuade his Whisperer to do him there.

            Joey was broken out of his muse as the hotel phone rang. He rushed to pick it up and heard Yugi on the other line.

            “Hey, Yug, wassup?”

            “Isn’t our room just awesome?!” Yugi chattered excitedly. “This is so much better than our own bedroom! I wish I could have a bedroom like this!”

            “It is rather grand,” Joey admitted as his eyes swept across the room once more.

            “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I’m calling to say that dinner is ready. Ryou got the call from Tea and asked us to spread the word.”

            “Alright. I’ll meet y’all at the lift.”

            Hanging up the phone, he took one last look at the room and headed off to the elevator. As he went down, he was greeted by the happy faces of some of his buddies and a few acquaintances he picked a conversation with back at the spa. He met the rest at ground floor where they came out of another elevator. They chattered about the grandness of their room as they made their way to the hotel dining room where they were greeted with equally lavish 6-star decors and the smell of dinner lingering from the buffet table. They wasted no time in arming themselves with plates as they picked their food from the buffet table. The five chose a seat near the scenic night view outside and tucked in.

            “So, guys, the moment of truth here,” Tristan started off. “Who here actually watched porn behind their parents’ back?”

            “Is that a trick question, dumbass?” Malik snorted. “We _all_ have watched porn at a certain point. Even little angel princess here was caught by yours truly browsing through a few H-magazines at an adult store at Central Domino.”

            “I was just curious, you all,” Yugi twiddled his thumbs bashfully. “You don’t need to rub it in.”

            “OK then, next moment of truth,” Joey leaned closer to the gang. “Who here actually tried diddling themselves?”

            “With something or just the finger?” Malik asked.

            “What? Ya telling me ya freakin’ fucked ya self wit a dildo?”

            “Well, no, not as far as that, but my ‘mom’ had been suspecting where his cucumber for that night’s salad disappeared to.”

            “You didn’t break your virgin now, did you?” Ryou asked worriedly.

            “Naw, besides, ‘Mom’ always takes me to the gynecologist every 6 months to check on my ‘state of health’. Never once did I hear the doc said anything about my virgin broken. Anyways, it was just that one time and I didn’t really stick it in that deep. It fucking aches just going in.”

            The boys chuckled at Malik’s statement before Joey admitted, “I haf bin diddling myself sometimes. In fact da last time I diddled mah self was last weekend night in mah room ‘fore bedtime.”

            “What was your stimulation?” Tristan asked, interested.

            “Porn, of course. I haf a good ol’ stash of ‘em hidden right within da loose tile of mah ceiling and I would diddle mah self ev’ry time I lookit ‘em sexy boys n ‘em six packs n huge packages behind ‘em thongs.”

            “Ooh, naughty boy!” Tristan grinned. “For me, I usually diddle myself at least once a week, imagining myself to be filled up by a macho pure man and his larger-than-life manhood. The best place to play out my fantasies is the bathroom. I dunno why, bathroom seems to turn me on. I think it’s a fetish.”

            “Just so long as you don’t jump on us whenever we go take a dump!” Malik slapped Tristan’s head, earning a full length of curses, coughing and spluttering by the pointy-haired boy who almost choked in his steak.

            “Wat about ya kids?” Joey turned to Ryou and Yugi. “I dinna believe ya two would be dat innocent!”

            “Well…I _do_ play with myself once in a while,” Yugi blushed as red as a tomato. “Especially when I come home from my secret trip to the adult store…”

            “And you, Ryou?”

            Ryou just shook his head bashfully.

            “I don’t believe you! Not even once??” Tristan asked, finally managed to swallow the steak.

            “I…I don’t…I don’t even know where to start…” Ryou spoke barely in a whisper, earning the looks of shock, disbelief and horror from his fellow friends.

            “Good God, Ryou,” Malik groaned. “You really _are_ an angel princess!”

            “Come on, guys,” Yugi defended his little frail friend as usual. “Don’t be so hard on him.”

            “Jokes aside,” Joey voiced out, his tone deciding that it’s enough taunting for one day, “anyone of ya are actually ready fer dis event?”

            “Well…now that you mentioned it…” Tristan scratched his chin nervously. “I’m not really sure I am. I mean, it’s our virginity and our future role as a ‘mother’ we’re talking about.”

            “Of all the ill luck, we’re the ones being the victim of a crime our ancestors committed,” Malik replied grudgingly.

            “Technically it’s not a crime. It’s more like a selfish deal,” Yugi commented. “But it _is_ asking too much from us. We haven’t even started dating yet, let alone give our first time to someone and bear their child. And we’re not going to be officially married to them, so to speak. Wouldn’t that consider a little…well…out of wedlock or something?”

            “Unfortunately there’s pretty much nothing we can do about it,” Ryou replied. “I mean, would you rather you and your whole family be sentenced to death and cause human extinction by breaking the deal or just get it over and done with? We have to be practical here, no matter how much we hate doing this.”

            “I suppose,” Malik agreed reluctantly. “Just remember our deal, guys. No change of mindset on our Whisperers and prayers everyday to the Ethereal Clan to be blessed with a Whisperer-dominant.”

            Everyone nodded in agreement. Ever since the day they met at their high school orientation day and discovered their gift, they have made a pact to be Whisperer-haters for life and determined to have their child born Whisperer-dominant so that they would not have to suffer the burden of looking after a Halfling. This had been their pact since junior high when they were only a pre-teen of 13 years old, and it had stood strong for the next 3 years, until now.

            “Attention everybody,” Tea suddenly emerged in the crowd of eating teenagers. “We have received word from the middle men that the Whisperers have selected their representatives and are good to go. They will be arriving here any time now, so please finish whatever you’re eating and make your way to your rooms ASAP.”

            The five stole a look on Tristan’s watch and saw that it was almost coming to 10pm. They drained their glasses, renewed their pact by putting their hands together on top of each other, wished everyone luck and made their way to the elevator to return to their rooms. As Joey reached his floor and walked steadfastly to his room, there was only one though in his mind.

            “This is going to be a long night.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ritual Night begins, starting with Joey's room. Warning: very graphic sex will follow...

            The clock ticked as if in slow motion as Joey lay on his bed waiting for his Whisperer to come. He tossed and turned restlessly, laying on his back once in a while to smooth the satin robe he put on after he brushed his teeth and took a dump. He double-checked the clock on his bedside table. It was showing 5 minutes to midnight. Sighing, he rolled back and stared at the ceiling for no particular reason. He had to admit, as much as he hated this ritual, somewhere deep down inside him, he was rather nervous and a little excited, if not curious, as to how he was going to go through with this ritual and finally be mated to his Whisperer.

            Millions of faces crossed his mind as he imagined what his Whisperer would look like. Would he look like the one in the picture Solomon showed them? Would he be handsome or ugly? Would he be tall or short? Would he be fat or thin? Would he be as muscular as a body-builder, or as plain as a nerd? Would he have an impressive package, or would it be no bigger than a pencil? Come to think of it, would he even be able to fit in? He had never stuck anything larger than his own middle finger whenever he diddled himself, so who’s to say that he could even manage an average-sized cock?

            His thought ground to a halt as he heard flapping of wings outside his window. Tea had instructed everyone to leave their windows open for their Whisperers to come in, and he could tell by the soft footsteps that his Whisperer, whoever it may be and whatever it may look like, had landed and was making its way through the window. Once he heard the sound of the window closing shut, he knew that this was it. This was the moment he’d been dreading for ever since he got here. Hurriedly, he pulled the blanket up to his chin and shut his eyes tight, hoping that everything would over and done with.

            In the darkness, he could hear sounds of sniffing and the padding of feet on the carpet as the Whisperer moved around looking for its intended. A very soft torrent of whispers echoed through the room, and got closer and closer towards his direction. Joey can only imagine that the Whisperer had found him and was moving towards him. He dared not open his eyes as he felt a hand caressing his cheek, making him flinch a little. The hand traveled along his cheek, his jaw and onto the other cheek. It felt almost warm and velvety, with a hint of tender loving care in between, as if Joey was a porcelain doll and any harsh moves would break him.

            A pressure on the bed beside him indicated that the Whisperer had climbed up the bed and was ready to mate. Joey’s breath quickened as he felt a pair of lips touch his forehead, then the tip of a tongue running down from the middle all the towards the tip of his nose. Another soft torrent of whispers followed as the Whisperer continued to trace its tongue along the underside of his eyes and one of his ears. The whispers bundled one upon the other until it sounded too incoherent for Joey to be able to pick up a single word. As he felt hands cupping both his cheeks, the whispers died one by one to reveal only one word:

            “ _Eyes…_ ”

            Without even knowing it, Joey’s eyes flipped open, only to be greeted with a pair of icy-blue orbs that stared intently at him. Against all the little voices in his head telling him to close them again, his eyes, and heart, were drawn towards the orbs as the Whisperer’s hands slowly departed from his face to roam around the rest of his body. Skilled fingers began to remove the satin robe off his shoulders and run along his honey-tan skin. Joey didn’t know why, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off the Whisperer’s blue orbs. No matter how he wished to look away so that he could study the rest of its body, the blue orbs seemed to fixate him on the spot. It was both soothing and terrifying to look at the eyes that had seen through the sands of time and outlived many centuries of human mankind. There was a hint of dominance and supremacy in those eyes, as if the Whisperer was someone powerful and not to be reckoned lightly with, and that he was in control and _will_ get whatever he want one way or another.

            Joey’s breath hitched as he felt the Whisperer’s fingers rubbing lightly against his nipples, pinching them once in a while until they were a pair of rock-hard nubs. He didn’t think that it would immediately start getting it on, but who was he to stop this? The Whisperer finally released his visual hold on his intended to give those nubs a little more attention than just rubbing. Joey wanted to take the opportunity to study his Whisperer’s features but his intentions were all thrown out into the abyss as he felt something wet, warm and slick drawing circles around one of his nipples.

            “Oh, god…” Joey moaned as the Whisperer licked and sucked at his nipple, nibbling it occasionally as his other nipple was rubbed quite aggressively between the Whisperer’s thumb and index finger. The other hand snaked downwards between his thighs and slowly spreading them to accommodate its legs, and without warning, it traced its fingers along his cock before beginning to search for Joey’s clit. For a hermaphrodite, even though the penis serves no sexual purpose, thus it would never get hard, but its nerves within it are enough to add stimulation for the body and the rest of the nether regions, and Joey was thoroughly enjoying this experience, even though his mind was telling him to shut it out.

            “G…God…Fuck…So…good…”

            Joey’s lack of articulation was getting worse as his whole body tingled with the sensual overload. The Whisperer continued to assault both his nipples with its tongue and talented fingers as the other hand begin to massage and diddle his clit. Joey wondered for a moment how experienced this Whisperer was. Had he did other people before him? Was he its first or just one of many young teen herms it had screwed in its long immortal life? But right now, he couldn’t think very straight. He could feel the Whisperer trying to fit in three fingers, one after the other, to stretch his pussy while its thumb continued to tickle and rub his clit. Joey hissed at first in pain when it slid in the second finger, and whimpered as he tried to resist the third finger, but once it reached over and pressed its lips onto Joey to distract him, the third finger slid in quickly and Joey could feel the sting as his virgin was broken.

            “Aah…Aah…! Please…stop…Aah…!”

            Tears began to flow out of his eyes as the sting came over and over again with each finger thrust the Whisperer made. Joey arched his back in pain at every move the Whisperer—his mate—made with its hand as it finger-fucked him gently at first, then quicken the pace bit by bit. When he felt something within being brushed lightly by its middle finger, all pain suddenly disappeared and pleasure began to settle in, shooting its doses all the way from the tip of his head to the tip of toes.

            “Oh…god…Do…Do that again…!”

            His mate edged its fingers deeper, hitting his G-spot over and over again, making sure that his nipples were not neglected. Joey couldn’t contain his voice as he howled in pleasure at this blissful torture his mate was putting him through. The pit of his stomach began to tighten and he knew he was done for.

            “I’m gonna cum…God, I’m gonna cum…I’m cummin’…!!!”

            Wave after wave of euphoria hit him like a bullet train as he came violently. His mate held down his hips lightly with its own body weight as it continued to diddle his clit to maximize his pleasure. As he tried to settle down from the ride, he could tell from the blue orbs that his mate seemed to enjoy the sight of his ecstasy. With the window shut and no light coming in, Joey was disappointed yet again for unable to see his mate entirely. He could only make out silhouettes of his mate’s body and larger-than-life wings, and of course the soft glow of its icy-blue eyes.

            “I’m guessin’ ya enjoy seein’ me like dis, cummin’ like a bitch?”

            The Whisperer didn’t reply. Instead it licked its fingers it used to finger-fuck him, tasting his cum and purring in delight. It then spread the rest of his wet cum around his pussy, lubricating it. He saw it removing what seemed like the shape of a loincloth off its waist and was positioning itself between his legs, spreading and lifting them even wider for the grand entrance. His heart thumped hard once more as he felt its cock rubbing against his pussy to lubricate it with his cum. He could tell from the feel of it that it was a rather impressive size. _This is it,_ Joey thought. _He’s_ _gonna fuck me. He’s gonna fuck blind n knock me up real bad…_

“Wait!” Joey said before his mate made any move. “I…I…At least lemme know ya name. I wanna at least know da name of da father who sired mah little kid.”

            His mate seemed hesitant at first. Joey didn’t know what possessed him to ask such question, but he had to know. He had the right to know. Slowly his mate lowered itself to lay a chaste kiss on his lips before replying in the midst of the soft torrents of whispers.

            “ _Seto_ _…_ ”

            With that, he felt himself being filled slowly. He was supposed to feel pain with this intrusion, but somehow, the ecstasy that has yet subsided diluted the supposed pain and replaced it with another sensation of pleasure. His mate who called itself Seto lifted Joey’s legs higher and shifted its angle so it would be able to find his sweet spot easier. Seto moved at a slow and steady pace at first to push its cock deeper into Joey, then moved faster and deeper until its cock was engulfed to the hilt and finally rammed full force into his G-spot.

            “Oh God! Yes! Yes! Yes! Right there, gods, ya so good!”

            He could hear Seto’s purr and tiny grunts as it continued to ram harder and deeper into Joey, assaulting his G-spot over and over again. Sexual drive overtook Joey as he wrapped his legs around its waist, bringing it deeper. Purrs of pleasure escaped Seto’s throat as it supported itself with its elbows on the bed as it pounded into Joey, kissing his lips and pinching his nipples at the same time, making Joey scream with pleasure as he came over and over again until he lost count. If that was how women felt every time they had sex, he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

            “Oh fuck~! I can’t…stop cumming…Ya…Ya drivin’ me crazy, Seto…! God, ya so good, n big, n…oh god, I’m cummin’ again…!!!”

            All sense of reservation and anger and hate towards Whisperers be damned if this was how the herms before him felt when their virginity had been taken by these magnificent creatures. How could he hate someone who was giving him so much pleasure? How could he deny someone so beautiful in form and physique to sire his child? He almost felt the pact he made with his friends slipping away as he was being fucked by every position possible, his G-spot found and ravaged immediately every time, sending in wave after wave of sexual bliss without a moment’s pause in between. Its huge cock moving in and out of him, tingling his senses from within and every fiber of his being, was almost unbearably exhilarating, and Seto did all that without neglecting the rest of his body as it moved and roamed and massaged and tickled and stroke every part of his body while its mouth tasted his mouth both in a mix of tenderness and passion that could rival all expert kissers. Joey was going out of his mind moaning and screaming and groaning with pleasure until his throat gave out.

            “Ya…Ya killing me, Seto…I’m cummin’ like crazy…Can’t stop…God, I can’t stop cummin’…!”

            Suddenly he felt something warm and huge within his nether regions and it was getting warmer and larger by the minute. He searched Seto’s eyes for an answer and saw that Seto’s blue eyes were slowly darkening to black with lust and ache. Its breath was almost hyperventilating and its grip on his hips tighter. He knew then that Seto was close, no, more than close, it was about to explode, but it was holding back so long just to pleasure its mate. Joey was suddenly touched with the fact that his mate cared about his pleasure above anything else and was willing to hold back its aching release. It must’ve hurt his mate really bad.

            “S’okay, Seto, s’okay,” Joey whispered as he tentatively reached from behind Seto to massaged its sac, earning a pleasurable hiss from his mate. “Cum inside me. Shoot me full.”

            With one last thrust, Joey felt Seto’s seed fill him up and overflowing as Seto groaned quietly in its release. His room soon echoed with louder versions of the torrents of whispers, and soon the whole hotel, as Seto twitched and writhed as it emptied its seed into Joey’s womb. Joey could only assume from the loud whispers that he, along with his fellow herms, must’ve completed his ritual as Seto’s seed combined with his, preparing to transform into a living being created by both he and Seto. It was over. Everything was said and done. Now his mate was going to leave him alone and…

            Joey’s thoughts were broken when he felt arms wrapping around him and soft muffled thumping noises in his ear. He looked and saw Seto had held him against its chest in an almost possessive way while catching its breath. His eyes had long since adjusted to the dark but he still couldn’t make out his features except his eyes. Was it that Seto used some sort of magic to cloak itself so as not to let its mate see it and get attached? Was it that Seto had cast some sort of spell on the room for the same reasons? How could it deny its mate the right to at least get a glimpse of its face so that if his child, if found Human-dominant, asked of his father, he could at least describe how the father looked like? How could it be so cruel as to leave him out in the dark, wondering who the one to sire his child was and question its appearance, not knowing whether or not that it truly cared…?

            Seto must’ve heard Joey sobbing as tears poured out of the honey-brown eyes of the younger boy, for it lowered its head and tilted Joey’s head upwards to press its lips against his, kissing him softly and tenderly and licked all the salty tears away. Joey’s heart was filled with mixed feelings as Seto continued to shower butterfly kisses all over his face and lick the tear directly from his eyes in such a loving way that Casanova would’ve been rendered an amateur. Joey couldn’t understand: if he hated Whisperers so much and had dreaded this moment since he learnt of his fate from his parents, why did his heart ached so badly at the thought of Seto leaving him? If he hated the idea of giving up his virginity to a total stranger—someone he didn’t even know—instead of someone he truly loved, why did it feel so good? If he never wanted to have a Whisperer’s child, why did he feel so happy being knocked up? If he had wished this deal never existed, why did he feel so glad that Seto was alive? If he had nothing would make him happier than having his child being Whisperer-dominant so that he didn’t have to look after it and live a carefree life, why did he feel so angry for making the stupid pact with his friends? If he didn’t want to see another Whisperer for as long as he lived, why did his heart feel like it was going to break into a million pieces when he remembered Solomon telling him that Whisperers would only appear twice in his life? If…Why…?

            “ _Don’t…cry…_ ”

            Joey’s heart clenched painfully in his chest at Seto’s soothing words in the usual midst of torrents of soft whispers. He couldn’t contain himself any longer. He buried his face onto Seto’s chest and wailed like a little child, letting all his mixed emotions out in a stream of tears. Seto continued to hush and stroke Joey’s hair and back as he hugged the younger boy closer, kissing his forehead.

            “ _Sorry…Hurt…?_ ”

            Joey shook his head. Even though Seto spoke to him in no more than two words, he seemed to understand what it was trying to say.

            “No…Ya dinna hurt me…It was…It was the first n best sex I ever had…”

            “ _Why…cry…?_ ”

            “I dunno…I dunno, OK?! I just…dunno…!”

            “ _Don’t…cry…_ ”

            “Why? Why are ya treatin’ me so nice? Ya don’t ev’n know me…”

            “ _Shh_ _…Puppy…_ ”

            Joey was taken aback. He looked up and asked, “What did you just call me?”

            “ _Puppy…_ ”

            “Is this some kind of joke?!” Joey sat up suddenly, unable to believe his ears.

            “ _Puppy…?_ ”

            “Stop it! Stop callin’ me dat! Only mah mother, mah _real_ ‘mother’ calls me that! No one else calls me dat but him! How did ya know mah…?”

            “ _Angry…?_ ”

            “Of course Imma angry! This is mah nickname we’re talkin’ ‘bout! No one but mah ‘mom’ calls me dat! No, don’t touch me!”

            Seto stopped in its tracks. It was about to reach out to calm Joey down but Joey’s harsh tone kept it at its place. At first it looked at him with slightly surprised eyes, then slowly its eyes softened and narrowed to the point where it became the original ice-cold, authoritative look. It swiftly moved towards him, pinned him down onto the bed without giving Joey a chance to struggle and leaned over to bite his left earlobe. Joey, as he tried to worm his way out of Seto’s grasp, remembered briefly about Solomon telling them that once the mating ritual is done, the Whisperer would bite the left earlobe of their intended to mark them showing that their ritual is fully complete and that their deal has been fulfilled. Solomon did warn that there would a slight burning feeling because the Whisperer’s teeth, while marking them, had some sort of tattooing effect so that it’ll be easier for the humans and Ethereal Clan people to spot and differentiate the ones that have already done the ritual and the ones that didn’t.

            As forewarned, Joey felt the burning sensation on his earlobe as he was marked. After a couple of minutes of burning pain, Seto lifted itself off him and started to dress up in its loincloth. Joey knew he was truly leaving now, and that he would never see him again until the delivery day.

            “Wait! I still wanna know how ya…”

            “ _Sleep…_ ” Seto commanded as it blew at his eyes. Within seconds, Joey was sent into Dream Land by Seto’s Breath of Draught. It had always been the tradition by the Whisperers that as soon as they consummate the deal, they must straightaway put their intended to sleep as not to further complicate the situation. Seto didn’t know what possessed it to prolong the ritual by engaging small talk with this human. Its brother had always reminded it time and time again that Whisperers should not succumb into emotion.

            As it opened the window to let the moon in to shine onto his chocolate brown hair, Seto couldn’t resist having one last look at the golden honey-brown human that was its intended.

            “ _Beautiful…puppy…_ ” Seto sighed as it jumped off the window to join its fellow Whisperers back to the Yami Forests.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ritual continues with the rest of the gang's POV. Again, I apologize in advance for the upcoming uber long chapter, and the graphic sex. Well, maybe not so sorry on the last one LOL

            As the sun rose into the horizon and crept into the hotel rooms, all the teen herms recovered from the Breath of Draught and woke up with a feeling of both relief and confusion. But for five friends, their minds were filled with more than just relief and confusion. In fact, there wasn’t even a single trace of relief as they cleaned themselves up and put on the dark yukata as a symbol of completion to the deal…

\--:--

            For Joey, the mixed feeling still remained, but the worst feeling that lingered was sadness. As his hand reached to his abdomen, he could imagine the seed given by Seto growing into a life form. Instead of dreading the pain of delivery that was bound to happen once he carried the child to term, he was dreading more of the fact that his child would be born Whisperer-dominant and Seto would take it away and never return. If he were to have a Human-dominant child, he would at least have someone to remind him of his incredible experience with Seto, and someone to remind him of his love for Seto…

            Love? Joey was shocked at this realization. He was in love with Seto? This cannot be! It cannot happen! He hated Whisperers! He vowed to be a Whisperer-hater forever! He couldn’t back down from the pact! Although it was not an agreement in black and white, it was an agreement between best friends nonetheless, and best friends keep their words, no matter how outrageous it may be. What was he thinking? He was the one to suggest that pact, and told himself time and time again that he would not yield, that he would not change his mindset no matter how nice the Whisperer treated him or how good-looking it may be. He couldn’t just forget the pact just because of a moment’s weakness.

            “It’s just da hormones,” Joey muttered, trying to convince himself. “Yes, dat’s it. Mah mind’s just been fucked blind by a weirdo n his hormones are messin’ wif mine. Yeah, dat’s why I’m thinkin’ weird rite now.”

            Thinking that he had convinced himself enough, he finished his bath and went into his room to change, humming to himself in relief. But as soon as his eyes set upon the dark blue yukata, his heart ached again as the memory of the night they shared together coming back to him in full force. Its touches, its kisses, its caresses, its tongue running all over his body, its manhood as he rode it all night long, sending him into the pinnacle of heaven and back again…everything that happened in this very room, on this very bed, was real to the touch, immerse and engraved into his mind, showing no signs of leaving, and the product of their love-making was residing right within him, enhancing the memory even more.

            “Who am I kiddin’ ‘ere?” Joey laughed nervously in contrast with the tears that fell freely out of his eyes beyond his control. “It’s not da hormones. It’s not Seto’s fault…it’s…I…I…”

            Joey had never felt so bitter before in his life as he fell on his knees, gripped the ends of the yukata tightly and sobbed…

\--:--

            Ryou was trying to fight the slight soreness between his legs as he moved towards the bathroom. He blushed as he saw most of the seed his mate injected into him leaking out and he had to hold them in with his hand and rush a little faster to the bathroom before he made a mess on the carpet floor.

            Being the beautiful geek/nerd and a total 100 percent virgin of the five, he never knew what was coming for him. He learnt everything there is to know about sex and all that in the books and school sex ed lectures, and even was forced by the naughtier of the five to watch porn that left him blushing for days as the images haunt his mind, but when it comes to really doing it in a practical sense, he knew squat. He didn’t even know the first thing about masturbation and never even thought of trying it himself. Like an angel princess, he would even blush just by looking at his own naked body in the mirror, let alone trying to do naughty things to himself.

            When he was visited by his mate, like Joey, the first thing he saw was its eyes, and they were dark chocolate and glowing steadily in the dark. Ryou remembered Solomon saying that Whisperers’ eyes usually glow in the dark to allow them to see their nocturnal world, but he definitely did not remember Solomon telling him that they would look so alluring and hypnotizing. One look was all it took for him to forget everything else, even his intention to study the rest of his mate’s body.

            He could hear his mate purred as it seemed to study him in those wide, almost surprised eyes. Its hand reached over to touch him, caressing his cheek and tracing its fingers around his slender neck. One thing about being a virgin and never playing with yourself was that you tend to be almost sensitive to every light touch, and that was what Ryou felt when his mate continued to study him while its hands roam all over his body, from the face to the shoulders to the collarbone to the chest and everywhere else in between. It felt sort of naughty and playful yet hesitant, as if it was his first time seeing a human or something. Probably it was. He couldn’t hold back his moans of pleasure as he was swarmed with caresses so light and soft, it almost felt like being tickled with cotton. It was too much for his sensitive body. All the tender loving care he was showered with was building and gathering around the pit of his stomach and was getting tighter and tighter by the minute. By the time his mate actually reached down to caress his stomach, he was done for. A yelp of ecstasy escaped his mouth before he knew it as he came for the first time in his entire teenage life.

            His body spasm-ed and twitched as he finally began to enjoy the thrill of riding out an orgasm. Without warning, he felt his mate’s fingers on his pussy rubbing his oversensitive clit, sending him to another wave of orgasm. He came one after another as his mate’s fingers expertly rubbed and pinched his clit in intervals and he was going out of his mind with the sensory overload and his eyes stung with tears as his emotion rode along with it.

            “Please…Please stop…I beg you…It’s…It’s too much…! Aah…!”

            Eventually, after making him cum a few more times, it stopped before showering butterfly kisses all over his teary face, licking all the salt away. He could feel a smile in its tone as it whispered to him in a torrent of incomprehensive whispers.

            “ _Princess…_ ”

            _Good god,_ Ryou thought. _I’m even getting names from a Whisperer…Aah!_ Ryou’s thoughts were cut short as he felt his mate rubbing its erection against his overly wet pussy, lubricating it. Not knowing when his mate actually undressed itself and positioned itself between his legs (due to the orgasm that was still yet to subside), Ryou was almost glad that he couldn’t see anything except its eyes, for he definitely didn’t dare to find what and how its manhood would look like. He winced as he felt his mate slowly inserting the head in and was slowly inching its way into him. He knew then that this was it. He was going to mate with this Whisperer and there was no turning back now. He just braced himself for the inevitable. After feeling Ryou’s body slowly loosening up, it started to thrust in a slow, steady pace, trying to inch all the way in.

            He whined in pain as he felt his virgin broken. He tried to push it away but hearing his mate hushing him and caressing his hips gently, he tried his best to relax some more and wait for the pleasure to settle in like what he often read in story books and researched in the net. Once he felt his mate going all the way in and its manhood tip knocked against his G-spot, he was done for yet again as he almost screamed in pleasure from the wave that hit him like a tsunami tide. His mate suddenly stopped at his scream, its eyes looking at him questioningly and worriedly. Ryou realized that it must’ve mistaken his scream as of pain and begged.

            “Please…Don’t stop. I want to…feel it again. Please…go on.”

            Its mate purred lovingly and continued his activity, aiming his G-spot as much as possible. Ryou cried again not in pain, but in bliss and ecstasy as he was ravaged from within, filling his entire being with tingling pleasure from head to toe. He knew he had cum a lot, but how many times was lost from his studious mind. All he could think of was wanting his mate to ram him harder, deeper and faster and make him a man. He tentatively laid a few lovebites here and there on his mate’s body, but it was as far as this shy boy would go. His body, and mind, was content with being ravished and tortured into submission. His whole demeanour screamed ‘submissive’ and it was as if he was born for it.

            “Oh, you’re so good…You made me cum so much…I can’t…hold…”

            As he came again, his muscles within constricted even harder than before and brought his mate to the edge. He felt himself being filled with the warmth of his mate’s seed as it held him tightly in its embrace and released stream after stream into him. Ryou trembled as some of the full blast squirts hit his G-spot, making him take another double take on his already exhilarating torrent of orgasm.

            After both sides rode out their orgasm, they collapsed onto the bed trying to catch their breaths. His mate reached over to kiss his forehead and purred as it nuzzled noses with him. Ryou giggled. He thought as soon as they were done, his mate was going to up and leave him, but it seemed like he thought wrong. His mate definitely an interesting fellow indeed. It was like it had the urge to jump onto him and play with whatever was laid before him, and yet it wasn't sure whether it was doing it the right way or the right thing or not. But the most interesting thing about it was its inevitable sense of curiosity as it continued to explore his body with fingers and eyes with earnest and interest. He wondered if he dared to think that his mate might actually be attached to him and would stay longer, but memories of Solomon’s lecture kept him at bay.

            “ _Hurt…?_ ” his mate asked. Many hours of reading told him that the Whisperers usually only spoke no more than one word, what with their limited capacity in Human Tongue, so he was prepared with his mate’s mono-syllabus manner.

            “No, not really,” he replied, shaking his head. “It was actually…pretty good.”

            “ _Sorry…_ ” his mate spoke after a moment’s silence.

            “For what? I said it was good—Hey! What are you…?”

            His mate suddenly picked him up, brought him up to his knees and sat under him. It then lined its already hard erected cock against his pussy and pushed him down slowly, steadily thrusting upwards into him. Ryou widened his eyes as he realized his mate seemed to have gotten horny again and needed to be satiated. He wanted to resist but when his mate found his G-spot much faster than before and started pounding at it with all its might, his resistance soon became null and he lost himself again in its wild and passionate love-making…

            Ryou’s thoughts were broken when he heard the water in the tub overflowing. Quickly turning off both hot and cold water faucets, he slowly entered the tub, the warm bath quickly soothing his tired and aching nerves. He remembered doing it about three times in total last night before he was given the Breath of Draught. Ryou blushed terribly. Why did his Whisperer mate made love to him so many times? Studies from books and the lecture from Solomon told him that one time was enough for a Whisperer, and one shot was enough to get him up the duff. Why did it do it to him three times in a row? What was its reason for its unorthodox behaviour? Was it because his mate was…No, it cannot be! It wouldn’t be that way! They’ve only just first met! But then why the sudden sex drive?

            Everything he had learnt in the books have proven otherwise when it came to the real thing. He had expected the variation from what he learnt, but he had expected to at least have a basic similarity as to what he had been taught all his life, and yet he was proven wrong that very night when his whole theory he had learnt throughout his teenage life was almost the total opposite of what he had experienced. It’s true that some things are best learnt first-hand and that life was not all about education. Even as he made the pact with his friends 3 years ago to not like Whisperers and be Whisperer-haters for life, he couldn’t help researching about them and learn more about them, and the more he learnt, the more he wavered about the pact and the more fascinated he was with them, even though it wasn’t in an obsession or infatuation sense.

            But now that he had the true experience, he was beginning wonder whether he had made the right choice in agreeing to the pact, and he began to wonder whether or not his fascination towards Whisperers was more than just for research purposes.

\--:--

            Yugi opened his eyes at the sound of chirping birds and lay there listening as his dark ruby red eyes stared up to the ceiling. His body ached a little and his pussy was still recovering from its soreness. Not that he didn’t enjoy the sex, but he’s still a virgin after all, and his body still needed to adjust with the fact that it has finally being made a man.

            The thought of last night’s ritual sent the tiny boy into fits of blushing. He swore he could feel his facial heat going up 20 degrees higher. He couldn’t see who his mate was, but from the study of its silhouette, he could feel that his mate might bear a little resemblance of him, if not 100 percent. He was worried that he might accidentally be doing it with someone he was related to, since his ‘mother’ and ‘mothers’ before him had gone through the ritual, but one look at its glowing amethyst sent every thought out of the window as his mate kissed him gently at first, then deeper as they did their tongue-dance, doing French like it was nobody’s business. His mate felt as if it didn’t require the need for air as it kissed him with such passion, but he did, and reluctantly broke the kiss to breathe.

            He could tell that his mate was quite special, probably someone of high wisdom and power judging by the depth of its eyes, and probably was someone who exert a lot of command in its clan. It was dark and mysterious, like you'll never figure out what's going with its mind. Its touch was rather cold, like something you just took out from the fridge, as it roamed and explored his body with earnest as they snogged each other senseless, but surprisingly it was soothing rather than chilling. Like its mind, its moves were also unpredictable. He could never guess what was coming up next. First minute it would be aggressive, like trying to pick and taunt him or something, and then the next minute it was soft and gentle without losing the pride and darkness, like he was a little child that needed to be soothed after being spanked for being naughty. And then soon the cycle repeated itself again. It was as if it couldn’t make its mind over which suited him best. And yet, despite the dark, mysterious attitude, it had an aura of majesty, as if it had everything it needed to counter anything that blows its way. Yugi wondered, as his body was assaulted with the full sensual pleasure of its tongue and talented fingers, if he was being done by the Leader of the Clan itself.

            With its talented tongue, it licked every part of him, from the tip of his forehead down to the depths of his navel and all the way to his little sensitive penis, before focusing onto his ‘womanhood’ below. Yugi could barely stifle his cries of pleasure and hold his tears back as his mate fucked him with its tongue, sliding in and out and traveling around the walls of his pussy both inside and outside, not to mention licking his clit at the same time. He could feel himself getting wet, his juice mixing with his mate’s saliva as it continued to give its pleasurable assault with him. When he felt he was going to explode, it paused right at that moment to slide in its cock, driving him out of his mind. Judging by the feel of it, he could only assume that it was an impressive size and that he feared he couldn’t fit in the whole thing, which was, of course, proven wrong as he felt its manhood being engulfed by his pussy to the hilt.

            The sex was no joke either as his mate claimed his virginity. His mate’s well endowed manhood drove him crazy with its pleasurable thrusts and its accurate hits onto his G-spot, coupled with the fact that he had just came for the gazillion-th time and counting. His mate was truly an unpredictable being even when it was screwing him blind. It would first act all princely and ravage him like it owned him, but any sound or move Yugi made that it assumed sounded other than pleasure, it would stop and fondle him and plant butterfly kisses all over his body to soothe him, and he had to reassure it time and time again with his caresses and mewling words that he was alright and that it shouldn’t stop. It made him feel like he was both a rag doll to be ravished and roughed at and porcelain china to be handled with care. He never thought he could be two things at once for his mate. It almost made him feel wanted and important as he, like Joey, was fucked in every position possible, listening in to both his screams and cries of pleasure and his mate’s purr and muffled groans that almost echoed throughout his entire room, and when they both finally reached the pinnacle of heaven, Yugi had never felt even more complete a man as he felt himself filled to the brim with his mate’s seed.

            He was straddling his mate and was still riding its cock when they slowly recovered from their blissful reverie. When Yugi realized he had ridden it long enough, he tried to pull off but was held back down by his mate’s tight embrace. He trembled a little at the feeling of his mate’s manhood tip brushing against his spent G-spot and wanted to leave, but it continued to hold him in place, burying its face onto his chest.

            “ _Stay…_ ”

            “Um…OK…” Yugi didn’t know to say. It was, after all, the first time he heard his mate spoke throughout the whole ritual.

            “ _Light…My beautiful Light…_ ”

            “Huh? What are you talking about? What light?”

            “ _Shh_ _…_ ”

            He could feel its body trembling slightly as it tightened its embrace around him, as if it was crying. When he wanted to ask what was wrong, the Breath of Draught was given and he woke up with a sore pussy and a burning sensation on his ear, indicating that he had been marked. It was rather confusing. Was his mate getting attached? As much as he wished slightly for this possibility, he knew it cannot be. Whisperers, as his grandfather said, were not known to cling or attach themselves emotionally to their human mates and it has always been so for many, many generations. There’s no possible way his mate would be breaking this tradition. But why did he feel soothed by its words and his heart filled with hope…?

\--:--

            “Fuck! Fuck that fucker!”

            Tristan growled as he tried to pry open the dark red headband serving as a restraint for his sore, bruising wrists. He, despite his slightly aching body and sore pussy, reached his leg over to his bag which was luckily placed at his bedside and fished out his penknife with his toes. With his slight flexibility, he managed to throw the penknife upwards and grab it with one of his hands and cut at the headband feverishly. It was quite a long process—about 30, 35 minutes, give or take—but he eventually got out of his restraint and flung it at the nearest wall he could see.

            “Fucking idiot! Fucking idiot of a bastard! Why the hell did you do that for?!”

            He knew he was screaming at air, but he didn’t care. He had to let it out somehow.

            Because it wasn’t only that his mate had made him so vulnerable for the first time in his life, but also he actually enjoyed the sex, _loved_ it, even.

            Which was something he did not want to happen lest it broke the pact

            He was prepared for a fight that night. He was not going to take this lying down. He was a Whisperer-hater and vowed to be so as soon as he met up with the rest of the gang for the first time and knew of their destiny. He was determined to give his mate a hard time and make it remember that humans are not to be messed with, and if it means breaking a few Ethereal and Human Laws, he didn’t really give a damn.

            But when his mate visited him, it was a different story. For one, its green eyes were so hypnotic and alluring that he almost forgot what he was supposed to do. He discovered that despite Solomon’s lecture and Ryou’s info about Whisperers being less than articulate in Human Tongue, his mate was rather fluent in it. It had a soothing voice and a gentle, silky touch with an air of kindness. There was no hurry and no rush as he was being kissed, caressed and manhandled by it, all the while holding its gaze on him. He took care of that by succumbing to his urge to punch its lights out. One good sock between its eyes was all it took to break him out of its trance.

            “Hah! How’d you like that, fucker?”

            “ _That’s not very nice,_ ” his mate replied in the midst of whisper torrents as it rubbed its sore face.

            “There’s more where that came from!” Tristan yelled as he aimed for its abdomen. But this time, it was wiser. With one swipe, it rammed both his hands onto the center bed post, removed something which looked like a headband and tied it around his wrists onto the bed post. Tristan struggled and laid a string of profanities which fell on deaf ears. It was straddling his hips so as not to let him move and Tristan almost flushed at upon feeling his mate’s manhood lying on top of his navel. Who would’ve thought a Whisperer could be so well endowed underneath that loincloth he felt between his legs?

            “ _That’s better._ ”

            “Let me go, you sick fuck! Is that how you like it? That dominant-submissive thing? I’m not buying it!”

            “ _Please be a good boy._ ”

            “I’m not some kid you can push around, fucker! Now get the hell off me!”

            “ _Such a soldier._ _May I call you Soldier?_ ”

            “What?! What kind of sick pervert are you—“

            Tristan’s words were cut short with a deep kiss. Its touch was the softest and most soothing in the world. Silk or satin rubbed across his skin wouldn't be smoother than this. Not only that, its voice was almost gentle and fatherly, like a father soothing his son with the kindest words he hadn't heard for such a long, long time, what with his parents always away on business in their fashion designing career. Its caresses and hugs, its kisses and fondling were like never he had ever experienced. In fact, he never felt this kind of feeling ever. Even as they carried on with their ritual throughout the night, he was showered with butterfly kisses and comforting words, and even though his mate was met with his harsh words and occasional struggles, it continued with its tender loving care, making his fulfillment of the deal not a chore at all, but a real night of real love-making on pillows of cotton and rose petals and whispers of sweet nothings.

            “Fuck! Fucking hell! Why did you have to be so nice? Why? Why…?”

            Tristan trembled both in anger and shame at the vulnerable state he was. The sex was nothing he had imagined to be. He had assumed it was going to be rough. He thought it was going to be a one-night stand thing—technically it was—but the experience he endured was as if he and his mate had been doing this forever, like they were long-time lovers and a beautiful newly-wed couple sharing their first night together. The way it moved inside him and thrust into him, it was like his body was meant for it to salvage and indulge. Even when he was restrained by his mate’s headband, he couldn’t help but feel the kinkiness of the situation, and it actually heightened the pleasure of their love-making. The feeling of its tongue and lips as it kissed him everywhere; the touch of its soft, soothing fingers and hands as they roamed all over his body, sending tingles of ecstasy into his nerves and overloading his sense; and the feeling of its manhood as it moved in and out of him, hitting his source of euphoria over and over again were all so vivid to him even though it was no longer at his presence. His mind was telling him that this was wrong, that he should honour the pact and that he should just forget about it and lay it aside as a weakness of emotion, but his heart was aching, screaming for release, yearning for more of this tenderness, wanting him to admit it felt good and it felt so right.

            “Damn it…Damn it! _Damn it!!!_ Why are you doing this to me?! WHY??”

            Because of his mate, for the first time in a very long while, Tristan Taylor actually cried.

\--:--

            Malik groaned, waking up to something that felt almost like a hangover. The last time he ever felt that was during Yugi’s birthday bash when he and his friends took advantage of Solomon being out of town to celebrate his birthday big time, and having one too many vodkas and tequilas.

            He winced as he felt the bruises on his body and the sores from the cuts on his body shooting up onto him. There was only one word to describe his mate: evil. There was something dark and sinister—and cold—about this hand that touched him, but he was into this already, and there was no backing down the deal. He had to just get this over and done with.

            His mate was a very vain fellow. As soon as his mate came up to the bed to have its way with him it was down right to business and no nonsense, judging by the commanding way he spoke to him and the way it removed his satin robe. It seemed like someone who calls the shots and was mighty proud of itself. It had an air of cruel vanity and sinister pride that made it look like an exclusive being, like it took pleasure in seeing people suffer under its regime and that no one should questions its methods if they know what’s good for them. It was rather bossy and strong and was the master throughout the whole process. It was in control and it wouldn't take no for an answer. Its movements, its grasps, its grips, and its kisses; they were all so demanding.

            Like Tristan, he wasn’t going to allow his mate boss him around while taking it lying down. There's no way he was going to fall apart in front of him. He slapped and clawed at it with his nails, forcing it to let go. The last straw was when he bit its lip when it tried to kiss him again. He knew he was meddling with danger as he felt the aura around him beginning to change, but he wasn’t going to yield to someone he didn’t even know, let alone allow it to treat him like a dog. As much as he loved to hurt himself, this was going too far.

            Suddenly he felt a click of some chain bands on his wrists and ankles. He glared challengingly at it, demanding an explanation but was replied with a really spooky, really creepy, _really_ sinister pair of purplish blood-red eyes that seemed to see through the depths of a man’s tortured soul. Malik gulped and couldn’t hold back a tremble of fear as he reluctantly allowed his mate to do as it pleased. He could only assume that his mate had discovered the modern world of SM sex, but it was further from what he had expected.

            Once he was claimed, he was in for more than just the torture of SM. His body felt as if it was on fire, slithering slowly through his skin, his flesh and finally through his bones as the chains on his wrists and ankles began to work their murderous magic on him. He felt his whole body temperature soared to a level not even the hottest burning iron can inflict on him. It climbed in torturing pace from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. He felt like as if he was being tortured by all sorts of interrogation and death devices he had learnt back in History Class about the Dark Middle Ages. He felt his body rise from the bed and the chains tugging painfully at his wrists and ankles and could feel his mate’s searing eyes as it watched with earnest at the way he was getting wet. He didn’t know why, but the feeling of his mate watching him as he writhed and wriggled and struggled for freedom was turning his body on involuntarily. By the time his mate actually touched his nether regions—more like brushing its finger very lightly onto his swollen clit—he was lost in an orgasm that lasted so long, he lost track of time.

            “You sick…twisted bastard…” Malik breathed as another wave of dark magic surged up his veins, intensifying his orgasm. He winced as he felt his mate’s finger entering his pussy to take in an amount of his juice to lick. “You enjoy me…being an exhibitionist for you…don’t you…?”

            “ _Yummy…Dark Chocolate…_ ”

            He could see the gleam in its eyes as it slowly levitated up to his height and shifted his position so he was slightly slanted with his feet pointing towards the bed. He felt his mate rubbing its erection against his wet pussy to lubricate it before entering him with one swift thrust, breaking his virgin once and for all. It raised his legs a little for leverage and began to pound him without mercy. Its massive size found his G-spot in no time and he was assaulted heartlessly in the mix of pain and pleasure.

            Malik tried to break free from the chains and from the excruciating heat but it was all in vain. The cold, clammy touch on him by his mate slowly became fiery hot, burning through his skin and into his veins. He could hear its heavy breathing and deep chuckle as it continued to ram into him with full force, its sharp fangs attacking the rest of his naked body, drawing blood. Malik couldn't hold it back, no matter how he tried. It was too much sensory overload for him to bear. He let out scream after scream, begging to be let go. He pleaded for him to stop torturing him, to let him go, but still not only the ordeal continued, but at a quicker and sharper pace. He couldn’t hold back the tears that flow like rain as the pain and pleasure of it all filled his senses, threatening to explode and overflow over and over again. He was long gone in his count of orgasms and didn’t think his body could handle anymore. It felt like forever as he was rammed and bitten and thrust into and scratched and pounded with the force of a freight train, his G-spot repetitively hit with no breaks in between his orgasm. He was going out of his mind with his mate’s manhandling and thought he could just die there and then. He didn’t know what sort of superhuman endurance his mate had to hold back its orgasm, but he was beyond pride and rebellion now. All he wanted was to end this euphoric suffer and ecstatic torture and be shot full with its seed.

            “Please…Please, no more…I’m going crazy…I can’t stand it anymore…please…”

            “ _Say…Master…_ ” his mate demanded, banging him hard at each word it spoke.

            “Please, please stop…”

            “ _Say…Master…!_ ”

            “M…Master…”

            “ _Loud…_ ”

            “Master!”

            “ _Again…!_ ”

            “Master! Master, please stop! Please, master, please, I beg you! Please stop!!!”

            Malik screamed as he felt his mate’s seed finally filling up amidst its mix of groan and growls of pleasure. The chains disappeared in thin air and Malik felt himself lowered slowly back down onto the bed as his mate continued to fill him up to the last drop. He was in a messy state of tears, sweat and cum but he didn’t care anymore. He cried and cried and didn’t think he could stop. In fact, this was the first time he had ever cried so hard in his entire life. Throughout his years of growing, he had sworn not to be weak and never to succumb to the emotions that would reveal him vulnerable. Many people beat him up into a pulp and he had endured more pain than an average delinquent would, yet he never shed a single tear. Tonight, of all nights, his mate, a Whisperer and an Outer Being nonetheless, broke him beyond repair and showed him pain that he never thought existed.

            Just when he thought he was going to cry himself silly, he felt his mate’s arms around him. Malik flinched out of reflex, afraid that his mate would hurt him again, but instead of inflicting pain, it actually licked every bite, sores and bruises it caused throughout his body, its warm tongue somehow soothing the aches and cleaning off any trace of blood around it. After finishing, it cradled him in its arms and rocked to and fro like a mother would to a child and hushed him before giving him the Breath of Draught.

            The memory of this sudden turn of events sent Malik into another pool of tears as he was bombarded with confusion. What was his mate thinking? What was his problem? First it treats him like dirt, like some freaking fuck toy to do as it pleases, then it went all softy and consoled him like as if none of that ever happened! Why did it even do it in the first place if it knew it was going to hurt him? Why waste its time to baby him when all it had to do was just get it over and done with normally?

            And why did something that hurt so bad could feel so good in the end?

            It almost made him feel…alive and human again somehow.

            It was almost the same way he felt whenever he wanted to hurt himself to remind him of his own person and not the Saviour of the World.

            It wasn’t until he received the phone call from Ryou to get ready and meet up at the lobby that he was able to stop his bawling frenzy and got cleaned up to wear the dark blue yukata.

\--:--

            The sight at the lobby would make any fashion slave think that dark blue is the new black. All the teen herms were decently cleaned up and clad in their dark blue yukata waiting for Tea and Miho to show up. There was an awkward silence in the atmosphere, with a few whispered morning greetings in between, as they were still trying to recover from their soreness of both their bodies and nether regions. None of them spoke a word, but one look at each other’s eyes was enough to tell what kind of experience they had last night during the ritual, ranging from relief, awkward, blissful, disgust and confusion.

            Perhaps the only facial that neither one person could read were the five. They looked almost nonchalant and neutral, and their faces were not exactly a dead giveaway to anyone. Maybe it was because they were trying really hard to mask their expression and pretend that nothing happened after what they have been through. Their pact was at stake. If they were to reveal that they actually have a sway of thought over the whole deal, the pact—and their friendship—would be over as they know it.

            Finally Tea and Miho came with a group of hotel staff carrying a tray of velvet boxes. Without a word, she gestured the hotel staff to take the boxes off her and Miho’s and passed them to each and every one. When the teens opened them, it revealed a thin silver necklace with an apple-shaped crystal pendant the colour of sunset that glimmered under the ray of sunlight that seeped its way into the lobby window.

            “You don’t have to speak of anything now, boys. I can tell that you’ve been through a lot,” Tea broke the ice as she let Miho double-checked to see that everyone was there. Miho, aside from being an Immortal, had a photographic memory and can remember things at a glance, and she was one of the most important members under Mai’s governing. After seeing Miho nodding in approval, Tea continued, “These necklaces are tokens of appreciation for honouring the deal and a thank you gift for bearing with the burden that is to come. Be assured that your families will be heavily compensated and that you are going to be very well taken care of throughout the upcoming pregnancy and delivery stage. You may take your belongings and meet up at the parking lot. Our limos will drive you home. I have notified the school to let you all have the whole week off to recover and gather yourselves together. Again, we thank you on behalf of the society and of Mai, Head of the Island, for your contribution.”

            Everyone shuffled back to their floors to get whatever luggage was left behind. As they disappeared into the elevator one by one, Tea approached the five.

            “So how’d it go, if you don’t mind me asking? Sorry, but I can’t help feeling curious about you lot.”

            There was a very long pause before the five actually replied simultaneously.

            “It was alright.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, you get a special treat: You get to see Joey and the others’ mates, but it will the scene where the focus is all on their appearances as you all were deprived from knowing and their background, and also their brief conversation about their human intended. Oh, as they are amongst themselves, I’ll use ‘he’ instead of ‘it’.

            Seto flew to the gathering spot where everyone had to meet up before entering in the Realm of Night. His keen sense of smell found that his best friend was already there and was waiting for others to arrive. He slowly landed onto a tree branch before climbing down to meet up with him.

            “Blessed be, brother,” Seto greeted as he came up to him. Yami turned to his directions and greeted the same. Technically they weren’t real brothers. Yami and Seth were cousins, which made Seto part of the family as well, as Seth and Seto were twin brothers by a difference of 5 minutes. With his sun-kissed tan skin, tall and slightly muscular graceful built, his dark and rich amethyst eyes and spiky tri-coloured hair, he was the darling of the Whisperers and one of the most handsome of his fellow Whisperers. If the females were alive today, they would not hesitate to offer themselves to mate with them, but unfortunately, it was wishful thinking.

            Even though not every Whisperer was blood-related to each other except family, it had always been their custom to address someone as a brother ever since their clan came to being, and addressing ‘Lord’ to their Head of the Clan, and it didn’t seem like it would change any time soon. If you were to listen to a Whisperer’s conversation, you can only hear them whisper to each other, and it wasn’t just one whisper to another, it was a torrent of whispers to another torrent that overlapped on top of each other until you cannot tell which was the beginning of the conversation and which was the end except them alone, and to top it up, they spoke in their own Whisperer language which sounded like a mesh between Egyptian and Arabic. Despite the fact that they can understand Human Tongue audibly, they were so used to speaking their own language that they never really took the time to learn it verbally, thus the lack of syllables in their Human Tongue. So far only the Head of the Clan Seth and his middle men was able to speak Human Tongue fluently.

            “How goes your mating, brother?” Yami asked as he approached Seto to give him a brotherly hug. No one really knew why Yami was named after the forests, but rumour has it that when he was born, his mother was at the forest with his father, the Head of Clan back then, gathering berries and nuts for dinner and it was his father who personally helped her with the birth. Unfortunately, due to the Duelist Plague, she died instantaneously and his father left the clan out of depression and no one knew whether he was dead or alive. Seth took over the leadership because Yami was not of age that time, and when he was finally of age, Yami thought Seth had done a better job being a ruler than he would ever be and had forsaken his right as leader to him. Now he was no different than any other royal-blooded Whisperer among his fellow royal friends, being Royal Advisor, second-in-command and best friend alongside Seth and Seto.

            “It was satisfying. My Puppy said he enjoyed every moment of it, although I can see that he had a lot of pent-up emotions within his heart,” Seto replied regretfully. Unlike his brother, whom they both share the same chocolate-brown hair and ice-blue eyes, he was a Light-Skinned, which means he had inherited the rare trait of being fair instead of tan. Such trait was only reserved for people of higher ranks and royal lineage, and many people thought of him being the better leader in appearance than his brother, but despite being twins and equally intelligent, Seto was cold, brash and acted upon whim and anger, and would sometimes pass judgments based on emotion and not reason. He was too proud and arrogant and always wanted things his way, and it was obvious he wasn’t much of a leader, although when the situation really needed it, he could sometimes work under pressure and pass judgments and give ideas that are phenomenal, sometimes crazy, but works just as effectively, thus earn his title as Royal Advisor along with Yami.

            “Puppy? Since when do you give your mate names?”

            Yami and Seto turned to see Marik coming towards them. They couldn’t help but shudder at the sight of him, even though they’ve been friends for centuries, and were the only ones able to tolerate him. With dark grayish-silver hair and purplish-blood red eyes, he was the most feared Dark-Skinned among his fellow friends as he was the Royal Executioner for Maximillion Pegasus. Any Bad Seed or those committing serious crimes under the Ethereal Law would be at the mercy of his execution games, and he would spare at nothing to punish those who dare to even think of doing the clan wrong. He was nicknamed ‘Deathly Game Keeper’ for his way of executing his convicts were cruel, malicious and dark, with no means of cheating or escaping, and no means of winning, and the person in his games often suffer the wrath of a slow, painful death. If it hadn’t been the war when the Duelist Phantoms terrorized the world that sent his beloved sister Isis and brother Odion to their early graves, he wouldn’t have become as sadistic as he was today. He may be almost humane, if not cynical and sarcastic on his normal days, but when he goes to executioner mode, you’d go as far as wish you weren’t alive.

            “What I do with my mate is of my business, thank you very much,” Seto said as he tried to maintain his cool amidst the deathly aura given by Marik. Marik grinned and laughed maniacally.

            “You have always acted a lot upon your emotions instead of your head. No wonder you’re only Royal Advisor and not second-in-command.”

            “Bite your tongue, brother!” Yami growled. “Seto is just as good an advisor as you are in your crazy little executions.”

            “Really? It seems as if someone else is more of the brains of the outfit than he would ever be.”

            “Blessed be, brothers. Can you not get along just for one minute without having to strangle each other’s throat?”

            Marik growled at the sight of Bakura as he made his way through the group. A Light-Skinned like Seto, he stood out with his mischievous, almost evil, dark chocolate eyes and silver hair. He, being a minor kleptomaniac, was assigned as one of the finest infiltrators and retrievers of the Royal Army. Nothing escaped his hands and eyes once he set a target to it. Any quest given to him to retrieve or steal, he would do it and provide the most satisfying results. He was so good at what he did to the point where if Seth asked him to go steal any of Maximillion Pegasus’ prized possessions, he might just do it, if he did not fear the wrath of Marik’s murderous execution games. So far, Bakura was the only person Marik would even give a damn to listen to because of their almost similar evil minds of mischief, naughtiness and thirst for danger.

            “So how did your ritual go? Was your mate beautiful?” Yami asked. Of all the people he could tolerate, Bakura was the lesser evil.

            “Beautiful? Good Gods of Ethereal, he’s almost like a little princess waiting to be rescued by a prince charming like those ridiculous fairy tales those human pups love to read!” Bakura exclaimed as he sat on a nearby rock, stretching himself. “I almost thought that the humans finally decided to try their luck in giving us real females to mate with. To be honest, I have never felt even more aroused than I was just now. And the most unbelievable thing was he looks almost exactly like me, only more innocent and feminine!”

            “Who looks exactly like whom?”

            “Welcome back, Brother Duke Devlin.”

            Duke slowly descended from the tree he landed on and joined his friends. Unlike his fellow Whisperers, he wasn’t considered a Light-Skinned or Dark-Skinned. He was a Halfling—the first Halfling of the clan, actually—and the youngest of the five, and the slightly fair skin he had was entirely inherited from his human ‘mother’. He even received his surname ‘Devlin’ from his human ‘mother’, something to remind him of his other half heritage. He was born during almost the end of the Middle Ages and joined the Whisperer clan after being determined by Seth as Whisperer-dominant. With his long dark hair tied into a high pony tail and his bangs dangling lazily over his green eyes, he stood out the most of the five not because of his looks (although he was considerably handsome), but because of his skin and his wings which were about half the size of a normal Whisperer. If a Whisperer’s wings expanded to be the size of a big blanket, his wings was just enough to be an average-sized cloak. Due to his nature of being, he was an important asset in being one of the middle men between Seth and the human world, conversing very fluently in Human Tongue with the middle men from the human side and providing information about any affairs regarding the ritual with them. Like his fellow colleagues, he had a tattoo shaped like an upside-down triangle on the underside of his left eye to let everyone know of his job, and people respected him reasonably because of them.

            “We were discussing about Bakura’s narcissism fetish and his obsession with loving himself,” Marik replied, sporting an evil grin at Bakura, who in turn shot him a venomous look.

            “I am _not_ fooling around, Marik! And I don’t love myself that much!” Bakura replied indignantly, then turned to Duke and continued, “He looks almost exactly like me, mine mate, but he looks as if he’s a…gentler side of me, a nicer and calmer, a more beautiful side of me. He gave me the most exhilarating time of my life. I swear I cannot get enough of him. I think I’ve ravished him about three times before my lust was finally satiated.”

            “Three times?!” Duke widened his eyes in surprise. “Are you trying to kill him? You know we are very potent and tend to sire multiples. One time is enough! What were you thinking?!”

            “Narcissist,” Marik muttered. “You better be care of heart that it is not your descendant that you sired a child with. Who knows how many offspring our grandfathers and fathers have sired before moving on to the White Horizon.”

            Bakura’s face paled. He remembered that back then after the Duelist War and the coming of the Duelist Plague, all the females died and left behind many Whisperer pups that have yet come to maturity. A Whisperer’s maturity age is between 200 and 250 years old, and humans, being mortal, simply cannot wait for them to grow up to sire children, so they will have to make do with the next best thing: relying on their forefathers who were able-bodied to start off the deal. It was not until nearing the 19th Century that the pups, Yami and his friends included, had finally matured and were allowed to take over the job that their forefathers used to do. People of the Ethereal Clan, reaching at a certain old age in their immortal lives, would become an entity of celestial proportions and would have to take the long journey to the White Horizon to live alongside with their fellow celestials till the end of time. It was no secret that there is possibility that some of the residents of Domino Island were descended from Halflings which, in time, become more human than Halfling, and could be related to the five.

            “Well, what about you?” Bakura challenged, snapping out of his reverie. “I saw you coming out of your mate’s window. I noticed that your mate is also slightly identical to you!”

            “That’s a lie!” Marik growled as he grabbed Bakura’s throat, threatening to break it.

            “I’m not. Look at you, you’re blushing!”

            “Brothers, brothers, it is not wise to fight amongst ourselves,” Yami said as he broke the two up. “First of all, can you smell their scent?”

            “Yes, of course,” Bakura replied, massaging his throat. “As a matter of fact, he smelt like honey-milk.”

            “And you, Marik? Can you smell your mate’s scent?”

            Marik hesitated for a moment before replying, “He smells of blood and dark chocolate mixed together.”

            “Then it should not be a problem,” Yami replied. “If they smell of nothing, they are definitely much related to you. It is possible that your mates are part of a very long string and a very tiny branch of the family tree that they no longer carry the blood of their Halfling ancestors, thus the smell. There have been known cases even among the human worlds that at least once in several generations, a descendant would inherit the exact looks of his/her ancestor.”

            “Well then, Deathly Game Keeper,” Seto said, folding his arms across his chest and smirked. “Looks like you have met your match. Do tell of your mate, brother. Is he as sadistic and maniacal as you are?”

            “My Dark Chocolate needs not to be bothered by your petty questions,” Marik grumbled to himself, almost little too loudly for everyone to hear. “He’s much more vulnerable than you can ever imagine.”

            “Now who’s the one who gives their mate names?”

            Marik growled at Seto, daring him to say it again. If it weren’t for Yami holding Seto back and Bakura holding Marik, another blood fight would’ve ensued. As long as Marik is around, there would never be a day where there were no arguments between them.

            “Now that you’ve mentioned of your mates’ likeness, I, too, have something to confess,” Yami said, scratching his chin rather sheepishly. “My mate has a very big resemblance to me. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that he’s actually a tiny branch of part of the old sorcerer Gozaburo’s family tree, whom possibly my grandfather had sired one of Gozaburo’s nephews, many times removed, thus the resemblance between us.”

            “What?” Duke was surprised. “Now that’s what I call ‘narcissism’. Was he in love with himself as well?”

            “No one calls my Light that way. You cannot imagine how incredible he was during the mating. I almost want to take him home with me and ravage him some more.”

            “Ugh, discussing your sex life is never a pleasant matter. You have more drive than Marik gets from his sadistic executions.”

            “What about you, brothers?” Bakura asked Seto and Duke, as a few more Whisperers flew down to join them, chattering amongst themselves. “How were your mates? Were they like you in appearance?”

            “No,” Seto replied briefly. “My Puppy is his own person.”

            “So is mine,” Duke replied sheepishly. “Although I have to admit, he is really one wild Soldier. He almost gave me a black eye.”

            “So that’s your pet name for him?” Marik raised an eyebrow. “It seems that you all have taken much liking towards your mate to be given pet names. What have Lord Seth spoke of Whisperers succumbing to emotion?”

            “And you haven’t?” Seto glared at him coldly. “You seem to enjoy your Dark Chocolate very much.”

            “Brothers, please,” Yami persuaded.

            Soon, the sun began to slowly creep out of the horizon. Though Whisperers can withstand daylight, they were more of a night creature and the heat of the sun can sometimes prove too much of a strain to their body and eyes. Yami made sure that everyone was present and accounted for before gesturing them to line behind him.

            “We shall speak of our mates another time, brothers. For now, let’s return home. Seto, if you please.”

            Seto nodded and materialized the Millennium Rod given by Seth before he set into the human world. With a few magic verses, the Rod tore open a portal within Yami Forests, revealing the Sky City of Whisperers among the many cities of the Realm of Night. One by one, they went into the portal, spread their wings and flew towards their respective homes.

            By the last ray of sun illuminating the island, everyone had gone, leaving no trace of evidence that the Whisperers were ever there.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the human side, a little surprise on the midway awaits.

            “Oh, Joey, I’m so glad you’re home!”

            “Hey there, Ma.”

            Joey returned home to see his father readily waiting in front of the porch and his mother tending to the garden outside. Without even bothering to remove her garden gloves and her dirty apron, she ran over to hug her beloved son like she had not seen him in years. Joey took this all in with a nonchalant smile on his face. He could guess that the rest of his pals are probably enduring the same doting like he got.

            “So, son, how did it go, if you don’t mind your ol’ man asking?” Mr. Wheeler asked as he approached his son with a clap on the back.

            “It was a new experience. Dinna really expect to be quite…interesting,” Joey replied, feigning nonchalance as much as possible.

            “Did the Whisperer hurt you? Did it do anything out of the norm? Was it inappropriate to you?” Mrs. Wheeler asked worriedly as she helped take his duffel bag.

            “Ma, stop worryin’! I dinna think too much ‘bout it. I just let it do its job, is all. It hurt a lil’, but nothin’ I can’t handle.”

            “Alright now, woman, you let your son take a break,” Mr. Wheeler took his wife’s arm and gently led her to the kitchen. “Why don’t you fix something for your son to eat and let him rest for a while, aye?”

            Mrs. Wheeler didn’t need to be told twice. She went straight into the kitchen and started making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches just the way Joey liked it and put whatever dirty laundry there is in the duffel bag into the laundry basket to be washed. Mr. Wheeler noticed the slightly thoughtful look on Joey’s face and asked, “Son? Everything alright?”

            “Yeah, Pa,” Joey broke out of his reverie. “Just a lil’ tired, is all. Imma gonna go tuh mah room now.”

            Without even waiting for his father’s usual reprimand about his articulation, he walked quickly upstairs to his room and closed the door behind him before slumping down onto the floor, his back against the door and his hands over his mouth to suppress his cries that threatened to escape as his eyes began to cry buckets again. It took all his willpower to pretend nothing had happened and chat casually with his friends, even to make teasing jokes at Yugi and Ryou about their blossoming complexion. It was a miracle for him to even smile and laugh at the way Yugi and Ryou blushed crimson at Joey’s tease through his face that was aching to burst in tears as his crumbling heart fought hard to break him from his façade. He knew he was being a sappy sorry sod of a wuss who was crying like a girl, but right now he didn’t care. There were too much overwhelming feelings within him that had yet to be let out of his system and he could do to hold them back so much. It was all he could do to keep his pride and honour the pact he had made with his friends and not betray them.

            He just wanted to be a crybaby for once, just this once.

            Outside his room, Mrs. Wheeler stared sadly at his door with her husband shaking his head and forbidding her to interfere. She sighed and left the tray of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and orange juice on the floor at the door for Joey to take to eat later.

\--:--

            Joey tossed and turned for the umpteenth time on bed as he tried to force himself to sleep. He stole a look at the digital clock and saw it was 2.30am, but his eyes were not showing any signs of drooping and his body wasn’t the least bit tired or sleepy. He groaned and sat up, looking very frustrated and pissed at himself.

            The moonlight streamed through the window into his bedroom and his apple crystal pendant caught the light, shimmering and sparkling as its light bounced onto a small corner of his bed post. Joey fingered the pendant absentmindedly and realized that it had been almost a week since his meeting with his mate. He spent his week-long holiday off school hanging out with his friends, from going to arcades to field trips to night club bashes, which of course were recognized by the bartenders as the gang who were part of the teen herms undergoing the ritual and forbid to serve them alcohol no matter how he, Tristan and Malik bribed and threatened, and had to settle with soft drinks and be seated in a designated room for non-smokers. But despite the holidays, they were not spared from school work as their class rep would make them come to the public library every day after school hours to tutor them a little about the lesson of the day and hand them the homework for it. He often act the way he always acted in front of his friends, only to go home and cry himself to sleep because of his aching heart and of his feeling of betrayal towards his friends of not honouring the pact, until he couldn’t cry anymore. It was painful to pretend that he’s still the Whisperer-hater he vowed to be and even more so when he and his friends went over to the prayer sanctuary to pray for their children to be Whisperer-dominant when all he wished for is that his child would be anything but Whisperer-dominant. There have been a few times he just wanted to break down onto his knees and beg for forgiveness and ask them to forget about their silly childish pact, but his pride and his fear of losing his friends held him back.

            If only he knew what was really going on inside his friends’ mind about their experiences with their mates.

            Joey sighed and got off the bed. He figured to try and make himself a little midnight snack, and hopefully a little warm milk would bring back his sleepy bugs. With that, he went down the stairs and towards the kitchen. He knew the ins and outs of the kitchen well enough to not need the lights other than the light of the moon from the window to see what he was doing. Soon he started whipping up his usual favourite snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and heated some milk in the microwave oven.

            Just when he was about to pour his glass of warm milk into his glass, he suddenly felt an odd presence behind him. It was almost familiar yet totally strange at the same time. Without looking behind, he quietly opened the knife drawer and grabbed the first knife his hand touched before facing whoever was behind, only to be outsmarted by a tight grip on the hand that held the knife and meeting face to face at a pair of cold ice-blue eyes staring mischievously at his brown ones.

            “S…Seto…?”

            It didn’t take a genius to figure out to whom those blue orbs belonged to. Seto pushed Joey’s hand that held the knife softly onto the kitchen counter and purred, a torrent of whispers trailing along with its voice. After making Joey let go of the knife, it took him into its arms and wrapped its wings around him for comfort measure. Joey thought he couldn’t cry anymore after so many days of pouring out every ounce of H2O in his body, thought he had cried himself dry, but the feeling of Seto’s arms around him and its soft beating heart in its chest as his ear touched it sent him straight back to Tears-ville.

            “Seto…Seto…! I…I missed ya…I missed ya so much…”

            “ _Here…_ ” Seto whispered in his ear, telling him with its few words that it was here with him now. It reached down to caress his still flat belly and purred lovingly, nuzzling its face into Joey’s hair.

            “It’s not dat soon, Seto. I’m not exactly pregnant yet.”

            “ _Forming…Changing…Baby…_ ” Seto whispered as it gave Joey a lick on the nose, making Joey giggle.

            “You mean…our baby’s beginning to grow already?”

            A nod from his mate confirmed his question.

            “Dat’s…kinda fast…I guess dat’s why I’ve been such a crybaby lately. Musta been da moodswings.”

            Seto smirked at the way Joey blushed at the thought of being pregnant already.

            “We…better be in mah room. I dinna want mah ol’ folks tuh freak out seein’ ya ‘ere.”

            Bringing his midnight snack along with him, he led his mate into his room and turned on the nightlight. At long last, he was able to see how his mate looked like. Seto was clad in a satin white loincloth that ran all the way down half of its thigh. It wore a pair of gold armlets and shoulder-blade armour that seemed made to fit for its almost muscular yet slim built. It had a silver bangle across its forehead, covering its eyebrows, highlighting its ice blue orbs even more. Its fair skin illuminated its entire being and its silky chocolate-brown hair was magnificent under the kiss of the moon rays. It had a tiny black dragon with blue eyes tattooed on the middle of its chest, and its wing frames were of the same colour as its skin, with the inner skin a slight tan colour. Seeing them stretched behind Seto’s back, Joey couldn’t help but shudder both in mild fear and awe at the majestic look and aura Seto gave off. Joey was lucky he didn’t drop his plate of sandwiches and glass of milk after trying to drink in everything that is before him.

            “Ya…Ya beautiful, Seto. Ya…everything I imagined ya tuh be.”

            Seto let out a small smile of gratitude over Joey’s compliment. Joey settled down his milk and sandwiches and came up to Seto, fingering the tattoo.

            “Nice. I mighta just git one mahself if Pa ain’t so strict ‘bout these things.”

            Seto purred as it felt his finger running along the lines of the black dragon on its chest. It laid a few butterfly kisses on his forehead. Joey grinned.

            “Ya reli are like a dragon. Cold n proper on da outside, hot n ferocious on da inside. Can I call ya Dragon?”

            Seto thought for a while, then nodded in agreement. Its eyes were slightly dim due to the nightlight, and Joey couldn’t feeling mesmerized as he stared at the cold pupils and the black snake-eye-like iris in the middle.

            “I…I dinna understand dis. We’ve only just met…and yet I miss ya like as if we’re old couples. What’s wrong wif me, Seto?”

            “ _Love…_ ”

            “Love?” Joey tried to sound humorous, to pretend that what Seto proposed was ridiculous, but one look at those alluring eyes told him that it was serious. “Yeah, I guess…dat’s what I’m feelin’ right now. Funny, huh? Dinna think love at first sight existed anymore.”

            “ _Puppy…_ ” Seto purred as it caressed Joey’s face lightly.

            “About dat,” Joey said as he backed away a little. “Ya still haven’t answer mah question. How’d ya know of mah pet name mah real ‘mother’ gave me?”

            “ _Puppy…?_ ” Seto tried to bring him back to his arms but Joey backed away even further.

            “No. Not until ya tell me.”

            Seto sighed and materialized the Millennium Rod which served as a medium to open the gateways between the human world and the Realm of the Night and brandished it in front of Joey. It closed its eyes and concentrated until a certain aura built up around the Millennium Rod. A sort of vortex form above the rod and it revealed a picture of a man with honey-brown hair and skin white as ivory and another man with honey-tan skin and blonde hair carrying a baby in his arms. Joey gasped and moved closer towards the image displayed before him and reached a shivering hand towards the man carrying the baby.

            “Mo…Momma…Papa…” Joey said, his eyes widened in disbelief.

            _“He’s lookin’ just like ya, darlin’,”_ the man with honey-brown hair whom Joey addressed as his father said as he pinched the baby’s nose. The baby winced and cooed in reply. Joey understood now how he got his accent.

            _“He’s got your hair,”_ Joey’s ‘mother’ said.

            _“But he’s got yer skin. And yer looks.”_

_“He’s just so cute.”_

_“Like a little puppy, aye?”_

_“Mmhmm. Oh, Joey. You’re Momma’s little puppy. No one will ever take you away from me. Ever…”_

The scenes stopped abruptly and disappeared as mysteriously as it came. Joey wanted to protest, wanting to see more of his ‘mother’, but saw that Seto was down on one knee, panting breathlessly as both its hands held tightly onto the Millennium Rod, trying to steady itself. Joey, realizing what was going on and what Seto had done for him, quickly changed from annoyed into worry and quickly ran towards Seto, trying to support it onto his bed.

            “Ya…Ya alright, luv?”

            Seto nodded slightly, slowly regaining composure and normal breathing.

            “I…Imma sorry I pushed ya. I shouldna asked ya tuh do dis. It was childish of me.”

            “ _It’s…OK…_ ”

            “It musta drained ya off a lot. Imma sorry. I dinna mean tuh…”

            Seto’s kiss stopped him short. Oh, how he missed its kiss. He returned its kiss hungrily, savouring the taste, forgetting the need to breathe as he and Seto fought over tongue dominance. Only when his lungs were protesting for air that he managed to reluctantly tear away from Seto’s delectable lips.

            “ _I…do…anything…for…you…Puppy…_ ”

            Its words were slow, but it was overwhelming to hear Seto say a full sentence for him. Joey threw himself in its arms, his midnight snack forgotten as he savoured the loving warmth of Seto. Seto slowly returned the hug and purred, stroking his hair.

            “ _Puppy…My Puppy…_ ”

            They both lay in bed, content to be in each other’s arms and basking in each other’s warmth. None of them did anything further, even though the chemistry was begging them to do so, because no one in their right mind would suddenly jump into ‘bedding activities’ after having only met once. Besides, Seto seemed to be one of those traditional kinds that would not bed a pregnant person lest it might harm the child.

            “So ya actually looked into mah past, eh?” Joey asked, tracing his finger again along the dragon tattoo. “Why?”

            Seto shrugged.

            “C’mon, Dragon, ya gotta admit, no one is dumb enough tuh snoop in other people’s past. Why’d ya do it?”

            Seto hesitated a little, as if trying to find the words to say it, then finally replied, “ _Want…know…you…more…_ ”

            “Well…OK, I guess dat’s reason enough.”

            Seto slowly reached its hand to scratch the back of his ear. Joey somehow found it very comforting.

            “Ya won’t leave me eva, will ya, Dragon?” Joey asked.

            Seto didn’t reply, but his slightly sad eyes were answering enough.

            “Please say ya won’t leave me. Please.”

            “ _Can’t…promise…_ ”

            “Please…Lie tuh me or whateva…Just say ya won’t leave me…”

            Joey clung onto him desperately, not wanting him to go, as he buried his face onto Seto’s chest. Seto may not be able to see what’s going on, but it could tell that its mate was crying again, judging by the ragged way he breathed and the shuddering of his shoulders. His eyes stung with tears and his heart panged with the pain of loneliness once more when Seto still refused to reply him, and Seto could feel the guilt creeping within it for causing such heartache to him.

            “Why…Why can’t ya stay wif me…? Why can’t ya do just dis fer me…? Why…?”

            “ _Shh_ _…Puppy…_ ”

            “I dun wanna…I dun want ya tuh leave…”

            “ _Shh_ _…_ ”

            Seto quietly blew at Joey’s eyes, giving him a mild dose of the Breath of Draught. It watched as Joey’s eyes slowly flutter shut, still whimpering and sobbing as he slowly drifted into Dreamland. It didn’t want to lose him to world of dreams and slumber, but it was the only way it could do to calm him down and make the separation easier. How its heart ached as well at the thought of leaving him, but it had to be done. It was not meant for the human world of light even though it was capable of withstanding the sun and it had other important matters to attend to back home. It had a responsibility, a job to do, and it wasn’t about to forsake it for a human. Not yet, anyway.

            “I love ya, Dragon…Love ya so much…”

            Hearing the whispered words from its mate, its lips couldn’t help but crease into a smile that it hadn’t thought it could make for so many years. Leaving a chaste kiss on the sweet tender lips of its mate, Seto gave one last look and one last stroke along Joey’s hair before rushing towards the window and jumped, hurrying to return before the dawn breaks and its brother realizing it that it was not on its posts again.

            Unbeknownst to it, as soon as it was gone, a dark figure slowly crept into Joey’s room, its red eyes glowing in the dark as it watched Joey sleeping peacefully due to the effects of the Breath of Draught. Beads of his tears still cling onto his short eyelashes, in which the dark figure reached out a slender finger to rake them away and taste them on its tongue. It spotted his midnight snack and, while draining the glass of warm milk and munching away his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grinned from ear to ear as it continued to watch Joey.

            “Soon, little mortal. Soon.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of the Whisperers’ side after Seto’s rendezvous with Joey. Enjoy!
> 
> Note: Katz in this fic is an OC, but if you are curious to know his description, he looks like a male version of Kisara, the girl who had the Blue-Eyed White Dragon and was Priest Seth’s lover.

            “It is a dangerous web you weave, brother dearest. I gather you have gone to see _him_ again.”

            “How did…”

            Seto spun round, wanting to argue but the heat on his face stopped him as he realized it was Katz, mate of his twin brother and Co-Leader of the Clan Seth, looking at him with knowing eyes. His brother must’ve somehow known that he had went missing from his chambers to be gallivanting and spending the night with Joey instead of tending to the palace like a Royal Advisor should, and must’ve sent him to search for him. It was bad enough to be found slacking off from his duties, but to be found by his brother-in-law and in the middle of sneaking back into his office was worse. He scowled and looked away, walking quickly to avoid Katz. Katz followed behind him, adjusting his robe so that his protruding belly was decently covered.

            “My personal affairs are none of your concern, half-breed. Leave me be.”

            “What have your blood brother spoken to you about succumbing to emotion? Are you trying to break the tradition that been centuries old? And you’ve taken his Millennium Rod no less.”

            “A tradition that is not written in law in black and white. Who are you to deny me my way of handling my mate? You’re just a half-breed…”

            “With that kind of attitude, I just might issue such law,” Seth said coldly, appearing from behind the scroll shelves, giving Seto a disapproving look. “What have I spoken to you about respecting your brother-in-law? And where have you been, Seto? Yami and I didn’t see you at the political meeting today.”

            “I was…well…occupied,” Seto tried to worm his way out of the situation but Seth’s cold blue eyes held him in place. So far, the only person who could ever hold Seto’s ground and bite his tongue was his brother, and since they were pups, Seth had always been his means of discipline ever since their mother died due to the Plague and their father died during the War.

            “To see your human counterpart again, no doubt. How many times do we have to go through this? We are still…”

            “At the aftershocks of war, I know,” Seto replied exasperatedly. “Look, we haven’t exactly have an attack since, what, three hundred moons ago? There is no reason to doubt that the aftershocks are over as we all know it.”

            “We can’t be too careful, brother,” Seth growled, taking the Millennium Rod out of Seto’s hand and dematerialized it in his hand. “What if something were to happen when you’re not at your post to defend the armed forces? What would become of our Sky City? You know you are an important asset in leading the troops to battle.”

            Seto sighed, too tired to argue with Seth. He had undergone this argument ever since he was elected Royal Advisor alongside Yami, and after so many centuries of listening to the same lecture for the umpteenth time, it was getting really, _really_ old.

            “I know this tradition is as old as time and isn’t exactly a compulsory thing to abide,” Katz said as he lay a hand on his brother-in-law’s shoulder, “but you cannot further complicate things by acting at your whim. You know that you and your mate are of different worlds. The tradition is set because we do not want too many strings attached and complicate the lives of humans and of ourselves. Our lives are already at stake here. Please be careful and wary of what you are trying to pursue.”

            “Yes, _brother-in-law_ , I understand,” Seto sighed grudgingly after a long silence, spitting out Katz’s title like it was a disease. Katz spoke the truth, in a way, no matter how much distaste he had for him. Ever since the end of the Duelist Phantoms War, though the world of humans have regained control and are living an almost normal life, there is still much loose ends in the Ethereal Clan that needed to be settled that involved a lot of counter-balancing. To upset another set of balance between human and Ethereal was not an option.

            “Milord,” Yami suddenly popped his head through the curtains that serve as Seto’s office door. “Your presence at the chambers of counsel is needed.”

            “Is anything the matter?” Seth asked, his face nonchalant but his eyes concerned.

            “It is regarding the aftershocks issues, I’m afraid. His Majesty Maximillion Pegasus is here and requires the audience of both of you in private. I cannot tell you anymore.”

            “Very well,” Seth sighed and walked out, but not before he gave a warning look at his twin. Katz gave Seth a ‘That’s enough’ look and consoled Seto.

            “Remember what your blood brother and I have spoken to you, brother dearest. And Brother Yami, please ensure that my brother dearest be present at the counseling of the commons later.”

            “Yes, milord,” Yami bowed slightly and watched Seth and Katz leave before leaning against the table beside Seto, who was taking a seat and letting out a tired sigh. “So, brother, Lord Seth and Lord Katz lectured you again of your Puppy?”

            “Don’t even _try_ to repeat whatever nonsense he just bombarded me with,” Seto growled. “Who does that little half-breed Katz think he is, anyway? He’s not the lord of me!”

            “Pleas stop calling Lord Katz ‘half-breed’. You know very well he’s just as much of a normal Halfling as Brother Duke Devlin is, and that he’s your brother-in-law. I don’t recall seeing you calling Brother Duke Devlin half-breed as much as you call Lord Katz.”

            “That’s because Brother Duke Devlin is our friend, and a decent Halfling! But him! I wouldn’t mind him being a Halfling, but he’s not even of royal blood! He’s just a spawn between a commoner Whisperer and a commoner human, and yet _he_ gets elevated to royal status and get to rule side by side on the throne just because he and Brother Seth couldn’t keep their legs closed and Brother Seth had to end up impregnating him. Now who’s the one being succumbing into emotions here? He dares to accuse _me_ of being emotional! Gods of Ethereal! To think that my nephew would be that little spawn growing inside of his belly right this minute!”

            “Technically, Lord Katz’s father was of royal lineage, but was demoted and rendered to a lower status,” Yami pointed out in his wise way, “due to the fact that he embezzled the Royal Treasury, so genetically and technically speaking, Lord Katz has all the right traits and bloodline to be on the throne. The sins of the fathers doesn’t necessary have to be paid by the blood of the sons, you know.”

            “Anyone who is of lower status than royal is no different than a commoner,” Seto replied indignantly, looking through his list of scrolls to be signed, not exactly reading anything.

            “Don’t forget, Brother Seto, that he was the one to provide you with your Puppy’s information. _He_ was the one that led you to be so lovestruck with your Puppy.”

            It was not exactly a big secret among the royal family about Seto’s obsession over the honey-tan human. He had to admit, that was the first time Katz had ever done anything smart and worthy. Since he run the Sky City alongside with Seth, Katz’s job was slightly more focused towards the troops of the Whisperer middle men (where his fellow Halfling Duke Devlin worked), and he was in charge of giving information about their human intended to the selected few who will undergo the ritual every few years. Unlike the humans who are kept in the dark about their Whisperer mates until the day of the ritual, the Whisperers get to know their intended briefly through a picture and a scent mark as soon as their human counterparts have reached the age between 10 to 12, depending on how soon have they reached physical puberty (i.e. menstruation). When Katz gave him the picture and the handkerchief bearing his Puppy’s scent mark, he couldn’t get his mind of him. He would stare at it every day and before bedtime and would inhale the scent mark as if his life depended on it. As twins often share telepathic links, it wasn’t long before Seth discovered Seto’s obsession and wasted no time in reprimanding about tradition, forbidding him entirely to even think of looking at his human mate before the ritual day. Katz took pity at Seto’s plight and quietly hinted him that his Puppy can be seen at certain places where there are secluded place he could hide so that he would not be spotted by the humans.

            He was reluctant to listen to Katz at first, since he had never been in good terms with him to begin with, but soon the temptation was too great. He finally decided to venture into the human world and coincidentally saw him from outside Yami Forests. He remembered it was during the time his Puppy was running towards the forests for some unknown reason before his Puppy’s female foster mother came to bring him home, and while hidden behind the shadows of the forests, he and his Puppy locked eyes for the first time. What a sight his Puppy was to behold! His Puppy may be still a pup of 10 human years, but every fiber of his being screamed perfect, from the tip of his honey-brown hair to the tip of his honey-tan toes. Since the first time he laid eyes on him, he knew he could never part himself from him ever again. As he watched him from afar under the shadows, he learnt about his Puppy more than any of his other friends should. His escapades to the human world earned much scolding from Seth because of him abandoning his job and post, but Katz always managed to lighten up the situation and tried to persuade Seto to lessen his frequent visits to see Joey, which, of course, fell into deaf ears.

            Throughout the years of waiting for Joey to come of age, he had watched him and somehow, in a way, grew up alongside him. He had watched him graduate grade school and middle school, witness his first play during the school open day, saw him won his first game at soccer, cheered him on quietly at his first fight alongside his fellow friends to protect his weaker friends against the hormone-crazed pure men, and even learnt of his first crush and the heartbreak he endured after being rejected for being ‘too violent’. He was tempted to teach that wretched human who broke his heart a lesson, but he knew any action he did would soon reach the ears of Seth, and if the offence was serious, it might be brought up to Maximillion Pegasus and he would have to face the wrath of Marik the Royal Executioner. Besides, he was glad that the crush did not accept Joey’s advances anyway; his heart would’ve shattered into a million pieces if he had done otherwise.

            “What about you, Brother Yami?” Seto smirked, looking slyly at his royal cousin.

            “What of me?” Yami asked, giving him a questioning look.

            “Do you not deny that you, too, are as equally lovestruck to your Light as well?”

            Yami blushed through his tan skin, giving his royal cousin an angry challenging look, but seeing Seto giving him that usual smirk whenever he knew he was right, Yami sighed in defeat.

            “No, brother. Unfortunately I cannot deny such truth.”

            Seto’s obsession towards his Puppy soon became a source of curiosity for Yami towards his own mate. One night, during one of their rare days of relaxation, Yami requested to tag along with Seto to see who exactly his Puppy was so special about that made Seto so adamant to leave post all the time and endure his twin’s lecture time and time again. It was prom night for his Puppy’s high school—about a year before Joey and the gang were of age to undergo the ritual—and, while sitting on a nearby tree that gave them a scenic view of the whole school hall through the hall window, Seto gestured quietly at Joey who was dancing in a frenzy beat along with his band of misfits through the booming and banging music that could very well threaten to bring the whole building down. He agreed that Joey was quite a looker, and could understand why Seto was so smitten with him, but nothing prepared him for what he had witnessed next.

            Yugi was dancing in front of Joey, and it took all of Yami not to just fall off the tree and die. Just as Seto felt for his Puppy, he felt the exact same feeling for Yugi. He didn’t think that seeing his mate in real life could be so tantalizing and breathtaking than in the photo and from his scent mark. If he had been slightly attracted at the way Yugi smiled in the camera while sitting on Solomon’s lap, the feeling he had right now after seeing the real deal was tenfold. He could tell from the features that Yugi was related to Gozaburo from the exact tri-coloured hair they both shared, and he discovered from Katz that he was related in a very, very minute way due to the fact that his grandfather had sire one of Gozaburo’s nephew, but after learning about the theory of scent marks, he was relieved that they no longer share the same bloodline after so many centuries. He could feel that little Yugi’s presence alone could illuminate the whole school hall, and if he were a Whisperer, he’d light up the entire Sky City with his radiant soul and blot out the night, bringing in rays of joy and love with a shine that could rival the brightest of light of the sun.

            Which is why Yami was obsessed in calling Yugi his ‘Light’.

            “At least I’m not like you,” Yami replied indignantly, his blush slightly subsiding. “I don’t go around running away from the palace and shirking my duties and go beady-eyed over a human. I’m not an obsessed freak, pining over someone who would never be part of my life.”

            “But you would almost always agree when I invite you to come along,” Seto said. “That’s obsession enough.”

            A young pup—one of Yami’s many pageboys—popped his head in to remind the duo that the counseling of commons would start any minute. Yami nodded and dismissed the pup. After a long silence between the two royal cousins, Seto finally spoke.

            “Brother?”

            “Yes?”

            “Do you think…we would ever have a chance with our human mates? A chance to have and hold and cherish forever?”

            “That is an unlikely possibility, brother. Even if they are allowed to live with us or vice versa, we will still have to suffer the fate of their mortality and watch them wither before us.”

            “Then…are we just going to be doomed to live with another while our hearts remained captured by our human love?”

            “I suppose that is the only outcome it’ll ever be, brother.”

\--:--

            “Is it as bad as we fear, Your Majesty?”

            Maximillion Pegasus nodded gravely. “It seems that more and more recruits have been collected by those Bad Seeds. Other clans and tribes have joined forces with them and we are left for naught. We have only a few alliances that would remain loyal to us and stand and fight alongside against them, but it would take more than just a few handfuls of loyal tribes that are willing to die for us to fight against them.”

            Seth and Katz sighed, worry filling into their hearts. This was the last thing they wanted to hear right now.

            “I know this is a bad time, Your Highness,” Maximillion Pegasus said apologetically, “what with the coming of your royal bairns, Lord Katz, but this is rather a dire situation. It seems like those Bad Seeds have begun to have strong desires to overthrow me and conquer every part of the Ethereal Clan, including the Sky City.

            “Their influences are getting stronger by the day and we cannot afford to be slack. They would stop at nothing to get what they want. They will find any weak link possible to bring you down. I strongly suggest that each and every one of you be on your toes for the time being.”

            “Understood, Your Majesty,” Seth nodded, reprimanding and disciplining Seto being the first thought in his mind.

            After a few more briefings, Seth and Katz sent Maximillion Pegasus on his way. Rubbing his pregnant belly, Katz leaned onto his mate.

            “I fear for our pups, Seth. What would become of the Ethereal Clan? If we are conquered, there is no telling our…”

            “Hush, my love,” Seth laid a finger on his mate’s rosy lips. “Nothing will come between us or our pups. I swear with my life that I will protect you and our pups till the end of time.”

            As the royal couple hugged each other, both their hearts couldn’t help but wonder and worry about the not-so-impossible upcoming bleak future ahead of them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One and a half months has passed since The Ritual, and everyone has expected good news coming their way...

            “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, students and staff of Domino High. Boy, do we have a surprise in store for you!”

            Everyone slowly stopped whatever they were doing to listen carefully, save a few nonchalant or apathetic students who don’t really care what was announced during school hours. It was recess for everyone and while students enjoy their meals either in class or at the school cafeteria and the staff in the staff’s lounge, and it was the Social and Liaison department of the student council’s job to put out entertaining music and pressing announcements during that one and a half hour-long time period, and ever since the incident at school early morning, it was definitely something newsworthy.

            “I suppose it has been almost one and a half months past since the annual fair and the ancestral ritual happened, and I’m sure those who are classmates of those involved have pretty much had a head-start of knowing the news, but since this is a big event, we, from the Social and Liaison department of the student council, would love to share this news throughout the whole school.

            “Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for this: our fellow schoolmates of Domino High, namely Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Yugi Mutou, Ryou Bakura and Malik Ishtar, along with the rest of the teen herms from our neighbouring schools Gammon High and Maximillion High, are officially PREGNANT!”

            Loud cheers, whoops and claps were heard throughout the school from everyone; so loud that it could be heard all the way down to the school infirmary where Joey and his gang were lying down trying to ride out their morning sickness. Joey groaned, his headache.

            “Fucking hell!” Tristan cursed as he buried his face onto the pillow, trying to block out the noise. “What’s a guy gotta do to get a little peace and quiet right now?!”

            As was mentioned by the announcement, it had been one and a half months since the five had met their mates and undergone the mating ritual. When they woke up this morning, they knew that something was going horribly wrong inside their bodies, but they were afraid to admit the reason why. They managed to stomach their breakfast even though their appetites were less than hearty, and they had to feign normalcy when their parents asked them what was wrong, although they could tell from the look on their parents’ face that they suspect the same thing they were. Once they were at school, their stomachs began to revolt and their food quickly made a direct exit out of their mouths. Joey had expected this to happen after being confirmed by Seto about his state of pregnancy, so he wasn’t too surprise when his stomach started churning uncomfortably and had to excuse himself from art class to go to the bathroom to hurl, and he was the first to arrive in the infirmary and be told the news.

            Yugi was next and it happened during P.E. He was running the track along with his fellow classmates and was wondering where Joey disappeared to when suddenly his head was spinning and his gut was doing the loop-da-loop in him. He wanted to break out of the track line and rush to the toilet, but knew he couldn’t make it and hurled onto someone’s back. He earned a loud “Eww!” from his fellow classmates, which spurred him to vomit some more onto the ground. Dr. Karita, both the P.E. teacher and the school physician, after patting his back to ease the vomiting, dismissed the class and carried him to the infirmary to be checked and confirmed his condition. Tristan came next when he was in the middle of a meeting among his fellow football club members during lunch hour. He didn’t feel like eating anything and tried to keep a stern, straight face while he chaired the meeting, but the longer he stared at his club members, who brought their lunch from home or the school cafeteria into the meeting room, eating and drinking like they have no care in the world, the more his stomach disagreed with him. The next thing he knew was him in the toilet next door hurling and coughing everything he ate for breakfast and one of his club members and his vice president supporting him to the school infirmary. It was no doubt they were the ones who blabbed about him and his friends’ condition to the Social and Liaison department.

            Malik, on the other hand, was not in the same class as the rest of the four, but his first morning sickness was no different than theirs. His stomach was disagreeable all day, but he, among his friends, was the toughest and can withstand any discomfort thrown at him. Yet he could only hold out so much. According to the duty roster, it was his turn to throw out the class garbage, and the smell of the garbage disposal area soon did him in. He blew out chunks into the nearest trashcan he could find and, like it or not, he staggered into the infirmary where all his friends were and knew of his condition. Ryou, the weakest of the gang, was in science class when his morning sickness happened, and it was the exact definition of being ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’. They were asked by the teacher to dissect rats today and the sight of the rat’s innards as he made the first incision was his passport to the lab basin. He puked and puked and couldn’t stop, even though his fellow classmates patted his back and asked in concern what was wrong. The teacher frantically sent someone to call for Dr. Karita when Ryou fainted after his vomiting ordeal, and the next thing he knew was that he found himself surrounded by his gang of concerned and worried misfits asking if he was alright.

            A torrent of loud, excited chattering voices and footsteps slowly closing in towards the infirmary—most of them girls, of course—ensued after the announcement was made as almost the entire resident of Domino High came rushing down into the infirmary and demanding to see them and confirm from them the news. Malik, who looked like he wanted to kill anyone and everyone in sight right now, glared at the curtain that separated them and the silhouette of people outside, daring them to even think of setting foot inside the bed chambers.

            “Oh my God! Is it true that you guys are pregnant?!”

            “How does it feel? Is the morning sickness getting on already?”

            “How are you guys doing now?”

            “Are you excited?”

            “What are you…”

            “Please, please, please, children. The ‘mothers’-to-be must rest. You’re not making them feel any better being here.”

            A stream of protests and ‘Aww…’ came as they were reluctantly shoved out of the infirmary by the school physician and nurse. The sound of the door being locked told the five that they definitely would not be bothered for a long while.

            “You’ve definitely caused a lot of commotion around here.”

            The five looked gratefully at the hazel-brown-haired, blood red-eyed school nurse towering before their beds with a humorous grin. Illuscia Nester Himawari, known to many people as Illust-chan because of her half-Japanese-half-Turkish decent, was the nurse of Domino High since it was in its beginning stages. It could very well be possible that she was one of the blessed Immortals, but she was not really admitting to any of that sort, claiming that her youthful look was due to good exercise and a healthy diet and whatnot, but nevertheless she was very well-liked by everyone in Domino High and many loved to feign illness or get themselves deliberately hurt just to catch a glimpse of her and be pampered by her. Despite the fact that she was allowed to pursue a higher form of business and she can be elevated to a high status with just one word, she claimed that she was content with being a school nurse and a full-time midwife, which is why she was here tending to the five in the first place.

            “Ya a life-saver, Illust-chan,” Joey said weakly as he curled up in a fetal position to see if that would bring down the nausea.

            “Yeah, Illust-chan,” Yugi agreed as he allowed Illust-chan to put a cooling pad on his throbbing forehead. “I don’t think I could face another person after that embarrassing puking act I pulled during P.E.”

            “At least it’s P.E. instead of in the middle of science class,” Ryou said. “Oh no, I think I’m gonna be sick again.”

            Illust-chan quickly picked up the potty that was prepared under the bed with one hand and pushed his head lightly into the potty and held back his hair with the other. Ryou’s vomiting caused a chain reaction as the other soon dove down to get their potty and hurled like there was an epidemic of food poisoning.

            “My goodness, I swear I’ve never seen this since the student body discovered what was in the Friday mystery meat last year,” Dr. Karita said with a sweat drop as he watched the goings-on before him.

            “Ugh, I really do _not_ want to talk about food right now…” Malik groaned as he hastily took the cloth Dr. Karita offered him to wipe his mouth.

            “Ow…My throat’s burning…” Ryou whined, clutching onto his sore throat after his long bout of vomiting.

            “That’s because you’ve emptied your gut and have nothing else but stomach acid to vomit out,” Illust-chan replied. “I think it’s time you’d take something to ease it down.”

            “Please,” Tristan moaned, his face going bluer than blue. “I can’t even think about drinking water without hurling, let alone eat something.”

            “Well, unfortunately, you boys don’t really have the say in this matter,” Illust-chan said, her lips creased into one of those smiles where you know she was up to something no good. “Now, open wide, boys.”

            Within seconds, the five realized that she had force-fed them with a small capsule of orange-ish liquid down each of their throats before they could even blink. Everyone knew that Illust-chan was like quicksilver whenever they needed her service in record time, but this was ridiculous. Even Dr. Karita was lost seeing her move. It was so fast that it took almost five seconds straight for the boys to actually swallow and taste their medicine, but the response was just as shocking.

            “OH MY GOD, THIS IS FUCKIN’ SOUR!!!”

            If they were banshees, windows and glasses would be broken by now by their loud scream. If it weren’t for Dr. Karita’s ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ outside the infirmary door, people would’ve been rushing in to see what the matter was. Dr. Karita sweat-dropped at the way Illust-chan laughed naughtily at the ‘mothers’-to-be as they struggled to keep whatever aftertaste that was left in their mouths down.

            “Good God, you could wake the dead from their centuries of slumber with that,” Dr. Karita uncovered his ears. Tristan was the first to recover.

            “You bitch! What the heck do you think you’re doing?! Poison us or something?!”

            “God, it’s worse than eating unripe oranges…” Ryou groaned.

            “It’s a remedy we midwives take pride throughout the ages of midwifery. We brewed it ourselves and it is the best cure for morning sickness,” Illust-chan pointed, seemingly proud of her handiwork.

            “What da hell is in it? Freakin’ unripe lemons or somethin’??” Joey exclaimed, trying to spit out the aftertaste in vain.

            “A bit of that, and a few more combinations of any unripe fruit imaginable, plus a dash of sugar in between. Seriously, boys, it’s already proven as the best nausea suppressant throughout the centuries. Ask your ‘mothers’ about it and they’ll be glad to testify for it.”

            “Monster…” Malik grumbled, although he, as well as his fellow friends, had to admit that their morning sickness had felt much easier to handle.

            “A little bit of tough love goes a long, long way, boys,” Illust-chan grinned radiantly.

            “I suppose a short nap shouldn’t hurt,” Dr. Karita stole a look at his watch. “You boys rest for now. We will close up the infirmary for the rest of the day and will wake you when your parents have come to pick you up.”

            “Thanks, doc,” Yugi muttered, feeling rather lethargic after having vomiting for a good deal.

            Illust-chan tucked them in and waved goodbye at them before she and Dr. Karita walked out of the infirmary, shutting the door behind them and locking it. Slowly, dizziness and lethargy took over the five dozed off one by one. None of them spoke a word while waiting for sleep to settle in for fear of hurling, and they were content in sending each other a sort of congratulatory glance for the success of their pregnancy. One by one, snoring of all volumes could be heard, and Ryou was the last to dose off.

            He was about to shut his eyes when all of a sudden he heard a small creak on the ceiling. He looked up to see a tile loosening directly above his head and widened his eyes in shock. Was the tile going to fall off? Would it hit his head? As he tried to reach for Malik sleeping next to him to catch his attention, a soft torrent of whispers accompanied a hush, followed by a pair of dark-chocolate glowing orbs peeping from within the ceiling.

            “It’s…It’s you…!” Ryou almost couldn’t hold back his yelp as he saw his mate crawling out of the ceiling and lightly landed on Ryou’s bed without alerting anyone. His mate grinned naughtily and went on all fours, crawling towards Ryou with an almost evil gleam in its eyes, purring seductively at him.

            “Good God, you look…exactly like me…” Ryou breathed out his words as he saw finally for the first time how his mate looked. With silver hair that shone under the table light, it framed its fair face perfectly and brought the shine of its dark chocolate eyes more. It was wearing a sort of short dark cape that hung loosely against its huge bat-like wings, and was wearing a one-piece outfit that looked like those worn during the Roman and Greek period, with sandals to match, and was adorned with silver wristlets and anklets. Around its neck was a sort of device that looked like a dream-catcher, but hung around its neck like a sort of huge ring, and everything on it screamed perfect in every way. It purred a little louder to bring Ryou back to reality and earned a hush from Ryou.

            “Hush, you’ll wake them up.”

            “ _Princess…_ ” his mate whispered as it reached down to lick Ryou’s earlobe, sending shivers down his spine.

            “Wh…What are you doing here? I thought you’re night creatures. You’re not supposed to be in broad daylight; it’ll hurt your skin.”

            “ _Miss…you…_ ”

            “Well…I’m flattered…I guess.”

            His mate picked up a scent and lowered its head towards Ryou’s abdomen and sniffed. Its face flushed pink for a while before smiling happily and nuzzling his slightly protruding belly.

            “ _Babies…_ ”

            “B…Babies…?” Ryou was taken aback at first, then remembered Solomon’s lecture about Whisperers siring multiples and asked tentatively, “Uh…how many babies do I have exactly?”

            His mate held up 3 fingers, earning a wide saucer-eyed gaze from a very red Ryou.

            “T-T-T-Three?!” Ryou hissed, trying very hard not to make a scene. “How am I gonna be able to accommodate all of them in there?!”

            “ _You’ll…manage…_ ” his mate grinned.

            After a long moment of silence trying to drink in this fact, Ryou finally asked, “Um…I was wondering…since we’ve been together like this…it’s fair I know your name.”

            “ _Bakura_ _…_ ” his mate replied, much to Ryou’s surprise.

            “T-That’s my surname too! So it’s true that we could be related. No wonder we’re so alike. Wouldn’t this be incest?”

            Bakura shook its head, then showed him the device that it was wearing around its neck all this time.

            “What is that?”

            “ _Millennium…Ring…_ ”

            Bakura whispered a few incantations before the middle of the Millennium Ring emitted a huge cloud of mist above them. It showed an image of Ryou’s ‘mother’, then image split into two to reveal another man who looked like his ‘mother’, but much more masculine and built, and with black raven hair. The image continued to split and split until it filled the mist with about more than 50 people, then suddenly combined together into two people standing side by side: one who looked like an older, wiser version of Bakura and the other who looked almost as old as Ryou, but had all the features of an Englishman. Ryou recognized the Englishman immediately.

            “Oh my God, that’s my ancestor Shuu Nightwing! The first person in my family to receive the gift of conception and the first person to undergo the mating ritual! This is the first time I actually see him in his younger self! All I’ve ever seen were old pictures of him…Oops!”

            Ryou looked from left to right to see if he had accidentally awakened his friends. So far, so good. Ryou continued to reminiscence about the past that was often told as a bedtime story to him when he was a kid by his father.

            “He was a child of a Japanese woman from a previous marriage. His father fell in love with her when he went to Japan on a business trip, but could only treat her as a mistress because he was promised to another. After the war and his wife died due to cancer, he married the mistress and took Shuu into the family and gave him his surname, and he became one of the chosen ones to receive Maximillion Pegasus’s gift. I assume that is your father?”

            Bakura nodded at the image beside Shuu he was pointed, then replied with a slight sad tone, “ _Was…_ ”

            “Oh…I’m sorry…” Ryou apologized. “What was his name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

            “ _Same…_ ” Bakura grinned.

            “So you were named after your father, eh? I guess that’s where I got the surname from. But what does that got to do with us?”

            “ _You…marry…mixed…?_ ”

            “You mean, were our families of mixed marriages?” Ryou asked, which received a nod from Bakura before he continued, “Yeah, we do. In fact, we have marriages all the way back to…Oh! Now I get it! Come to think of it, Shuu had no blood ties with the Nightwing family whatsoever. You mean our mixed marriages and affiliates are the cause of us no longer carrying the bloodline of our possible Halfling ancestors?”

            Bakura nodded. Ryou sighed in relief.

            “Thank goodness. Oh, by the way, my name is…”

            “ _Ryou_ _…_ ” Bakura replied.

            “How did you know?”

            “ _Secret…_ ”

            Before Ryou could protest, Bakura leaned over to plant a deep kiss on his lips, stopping from any attempts of saying anything. It nuzzled his nose and grinned before hugging him, its head laid on his lap and ear close towards his abdomen, attempting to hear the babies that were growing within him.

            “I doubt you can hear anything,” Ryou pouted, feeling rather peeved but decided to overlook Bakura’s so-called ‘secret’.

            “ _Babies…_ ” Bakura whispered to his belly, not really caring whether its still developing pups can hear or not.

            Ryou smiled weakly and laid his hand on its head, stroking its smooth, silky hair. He didn’t know why, but somehow he actually felt happy and relieved that Bakura was there with him. It somehow made him feel that his pregnancy wouldn’t be so hard to bear, that he didn’t have to endure it alone. Bakura’s presence alone sent a calm feeling through his heart and he couldn’t help wonder if there could be a possibility of them being together after the babies are born. He knew it was too much to ask, and that it is impossible for age-old Whisperers like Bakura could break tradition, but if it were to come true, he wouldn’t have to feel so sad now.

            Suddenly, after almost 5 minutes of blissful, comfortable silence between them, Bakura shot up and perked its head up, as if it had heard something only for its ears. It stuck out a tongue and scratched its chin, like a little child who had done something wrong, before reaching over to Ryou to lay a chaste kiss.

            “ _Have…to go…_ ”

            “Aww, do you have to?” Ryou pouted.

            “ _Calling…_ ”

            “Will…Will I ever see you again?”

            Bakura didn’t reply, but gave him a knowing wink before climbing back up to the ceiling, took one last look at him and purred before replacing the tile back into the ceiling. Within minutes, it looked as if Bakura had never been here before.

            “Till next time then, my beloved prince,” Ryou sighed and smiled sadly before finally shutting his eyes to sleep.

            As he slowly fluttered into Dreamland, the infirmary door closed silently and locked it back, the eavesdropper quietly leaving the scene.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang celebrating their good fortunes over dinner, and a surprise guest shows up to meet Tristan.

            “Cheers!”

            The entire household of Joey, Tristan, Ryou, Yugi and Malik were seated at a huge round table along with Tea, Miho and Mai Valentine, celebrating the glorious occasion of the five’s successful pregnancy at the Domino Regalia Sushi Restaurant, courtesy of Mai’s expenses. After tucking the five in and locked the door to give them a well deserved rest, Dr. Karita wasted no time in calling up Tea to tell them about the good news, who in turn passed the message on to Miho and Mai Valetine and all the workers in Mai’s office. Illust-chan, on the other hand, made the phone call to the five’s respective parents, telling them about their children’s pregnancy, and the proud grandparents wasted no time in dropping whatever they were doing in their work and made a dash to the school to fetch them after school hours had ended.

            The five felt slightly better after having slept through school hours and taking the morning sickness medicine, but weren’t feeling up to eating much, so while everyone else was eating and drinking to their heart’s content, the five had to settle with their own bowls of oatmeal and fish rice porridge and glasses of orange juice. Illust-chan explained to them that the reason why they were showing signs of a person who is 3 months pregnant when they were only about one and a half months pregnant was because for a Whisperer, the time of pregnancy was shorter than average—around 7 and a half months to be exact—and since the duration is shorter, they would have to expect a belly growth spurt around the 4th month. She advised them to take the morning sickness medicine until they’ve reached their second and a half months of pregnancy and should anticipate a hearty appetite soon.

            “To the proud grandparents!” Mai toasted, earning everyone’s laughter.

            “Are you trying to hint about our age, Miss Valentine?” Mr. Wheeler joked.

            “On the contrary, Mr. Wheeler. You haven’t aged a bit since the last time I saw you.”

            “Right,” Mrs. Wheeler gave a mock jealous look at Mai. “If there’s anyone who’s gonna jump Al here, that’ll be me.”

            “Jealous possessive little princess as usual, aren’t we, Linda?”

            Everyone laughed heartily at the way Mrs. Wheeler and Mai gave each other a pretend rivalry look. They’ve been at it since anyone can remember, but they know it was all just for show, and that they have always been the best of friends since Mrs. Wheeler was in high school.

            “Any telling what our grandchildren are, gender-wise and dominance-wise, that is,” Mr. Taylor asked as he popped a sushi in his mouth.

            “Unfortunately, it’s a little too early to tell,” Miho replied. “But we do have a midwife who is a Human-dominant Halfling, and we relied on his sense of smell to find out how many babies are there within your sons. It is crucial we find out if your sons have been carrying multiples to determine what sort of treatment and dietary and delivery process needed to taken. It pays to plan beforehand.”

            “Come to think of it, I do remember waking up seeing Illust-chan beside a red-eyed man sniffing about at our bellies,” Yugi recalled the first thing that came to view after returning from Dreamland. “I was wondering what that was about. I wanted to ask, but Grandpa soon glomped me like a ragdoll, and they left without a word.”

            “Sorry about that, sonny,” Solomon replied, smiling sheepishly. “Guess I was too excited to find out that I’m going to be a Great-Grandpa.”

            “Well then, Miss Miho, I’m curious,” ‘Mrs.’ Ishtar asked. “How many babies exactly does my son have?”

            “According to the records Miss Illuscia showed me,” Miho said as she put on that expression whenever she wanted to recall something from her photographic memory, “Joey Wheeler and Yugi Mutou have twins, Ryou Bakura has triplets, and the rest have only one baby.”

            “Twins?!” the Wheeler parents and Solomon exclaimed.

            “Triplets?!” the Bakura parents exclaimed just as equally.

            Unlike Ryou, who already known beforehand, Joey and Yugi were looking as if their jaws were going to fall off the sockets and drop to the floor.

            “Hm, Ryou,” Tristan eyed suspiciously. “You don’t seem surprised.”

            “Well, uh, Solomon warned us that Whisperers are known to sire multiples, so I was prepared,” Ryou replied, surprised that he was able to come up with such an excuse.

            “The ever studious Ryou Bakura,” Malik rolled his eyes. “It’s no wonder nothing surprises him anymore.”

            _If only they knew,_ Ryou thought, sighing inwardly in relief.

            The serious issues were soon put aside for merry-making as the five and their families and the Head of the island and her main assistants partied and chatted about old times, gossiped about the five’s younger days (much to the five’s chagrin and embarrassment), fantasizing about how their future grandchildren would look like and hoping that the midwives assigned by Mai to the five would take good care of them. The eating was not as much the drinking, and those who were slightly weak on holding their liquor were sent into a crazy drunk dance and laughter frenzy and all that hullabaloo whatnot. At least they were eating in a booked room, or else they would’ve caused a disturbance of the peace.

            The amount of water Tristan was drinking during the toasting was making a frenzy protest towards his bladder and the young ‘mother’-to-be excused himself to go to the bathroom. Since he was pregnant, Illust-chan advised him and his friends to try getting used to peeing sitting down so that it wouldn’t be a strain for them to pee standing up with an upcoming big belly and tiring the legs. He picked the first cubicle he saw and was about to go in when he was stopped by a hand holding onto the door.

            The look of surprise on his face was worth taking a picture when he spun round and saw to whom the hand belonged to. There, in the flesh, was his mate! He may not remember how it truly looked like, but he could never forget the pair of greenish-aquamarine eyes that pierced through his heart and soul and captured him in its mercy.

            “You!” Tristan exclaimed before it muffled his mouth with one hand and shoved him in and shut the door behind them with the other.

            “ _Nice to see you again, Soldier,_ ” his mate grinned as it released its hold on him and smiled mischievously.

            “You fucker! I got a bone to pick with you!” Tristan was about to grab him but his mate had the upper hand.

            “ _Why don’t you relieve yourself first, Soldier? You don’t want to soil your pants, do you?_ ”

            “And you’re coming in here with me, why?”

            “ _It’s not that I have not seen you bare before,_ ” his mate, without warning, reached down and pulled down both his pants and underwear with one swipe. Tristan couldn’t control the blush that was overflowing his face into crimson as his mate settled him down onto the toilet bowl.

            “You…You fucking pervert!”

            “ _There, there now, Soldier, that’s not the way to talk to the father of your child that way. Now hurry up and relieve yourself, or do you want me to help you with that?_ ”

            “P…Pervert…” Tristan growled as he peed, unable to hold it back any longer. As he did his business, he took a good look at his mate, who was looking back at him in earnest at the way he peed. It was sporting a sort of sleeveless, button-less dark red vest and a long piece of loincloth that looked like those worn by Red Indians. It had a few tattoos here and there but the ones that caught his interest was the one under its left eye the shape of an upside-down triangle. Unlike the so-called Dark-Skinned and Light-Skinned Whisperers Solomon taught them in the lecture, it had almost human-tan skin, and its long dark hair tied in a ponytail with its bangs dangling lazily above its eyes looked almost as fashionable as a human would do.

            “ _I suppose the phrase ‘take a picture, it’ll last longer’ would suffice to you,_ ” his mate grinned after Tristan finished doing his business.

            “Don’t be so full of yourself, fucker!” Tristan growled, scowling. “How come you can speak Human Tongue? I thought you weirdo-s have a hard time communicating with us.”

            “ _I’m a Halfling, and I’m one of Lord Seth’s middlemen. I have to learn the Human Tongue, although being a Halfling makes learning Human Tongue easier._ ”

            Tristan huffed at its reply, and was about to get up from the toilet seat to put on his pants when his mate suddenly reached over to push him back down. He scowled even harder, giving his mate a death glare.

            “What the fuck are you doing, bastard?”

            “ _I do have a name, you know,_ ” his mate replied, its tone a little upset. “ _The name’s Duke Devlin, courtesy from my human ‘mother’._ ”

            “I don’t give a fuck what your name is!” Tristan exclaimed. “And I don’t care if you’re a Halfling or not! Get your fucking hands off me!”

            “ _Please. You don’t want to hurt our pup now, do you?_ ”

            “I don’t fucking care. It’s not like I love you or anything. Why should I keep your kid?”

            “ _Really?_ ” Duke raised a skeptical eyebrow, then smirked and reached over to Tristan’s left chest pocket, fishing out a red piece of cloth. “ _Then why do you carry my headband around with you?_ ”

            “I…” Tristan blushed for a moment before looking away indignantly, replying, “I’m just keeping it so that I can give it back to you during the delivery day. Well, since you’re here, you can keep it!”

            “ _Admit it, my little Soldier. You fancy me, do you not?_ ”

            “I said don’t be so full of yourself…!”

            Before Tristan could say more, a pair of moist, warm lips pursed his shut, stopping whatever obscenities he plan to spout out of them. Its kisses were firm but soft and tender at the same time, and the way its hands stroked his hair and cheeks, and the way they settled on his still-flat belly as it purred and rubbed its fingers on it gently immediately sent Tristan back to the day they consummated the ancestral deal. The tenderness, the carefulness, the sweet soft nothings, the love…everything began to return to Tristan’s body and soul as if it had only happened yesterday. Tristan tried to resist it and tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall out of his eyes, even tried to steel himself back to the bad-ass, foul-mouthed tough guy he had always been, but everything just melted away like ice under fire as Duke knelt before him and wrapped its arms and wings around him, continuing to lay butterfly kisses all over Tristan swelling lips.

            “Stop…Stop it…!” Tristan spoke in a choked-up voice. “Stop being so nice to me, goddammit..!”

            “ _You’re my mate, and the ‘mother’ of my pup. It is my pleasure and honour to be nice to you._ ”

            “Why…? Why are you doing this to me…? Why are you so nice to me…? After all I’ve done to you that night…why…?”

            “ _Is that not obvious to you, my little Soldier love?_ ”

            At upon hearing those words coming out of Duke’s mouth, Tristan finally broke into a million pieces within and let his tears flow freely like a baby. In a way, he felt relieved that he could finally let go. Keeping up a hard façade was hard, and convincing himself over and over again that he was not in any way into his mate even though his fingers would occasionally betray him and stroke the cut headband he kept stashed in his chest pocket any chance he got was making him ache more and more worse inside. He could never expect anyone to treat him as nice as Duke was doing because he had a reputation of no lovie-dovie mushy stuff and can take in as much as he could dish out, so he never got the chance to break down and cry heartily like he did the morning after the ritual. Now that Duke had him in its arms and being all sweet and tender and all that whatnot, he could finally loosen the hard exterior façade and become the softie he often was when he was with his cuddly toys or little kittens and puppies.

            “Are you alright in there, Tristan?”

            Tristan quickly forced himself to stop sobbing as he heard Yugi and Ryou’s worried voices outside his cubicle. Duke put a finger on its lips, telling him not to blow its cover.

            “Y…Yeah, I’m OK, guys.”

            “What’s taking you so long? Are you sick again?”

            “Geez, guys, what’s a guy gotta do to take a dump peacefully here?” Tristan quickly made up an excuse, pretending to be annoyed. “Unless you wanna come in and help me wipe my ass!”

            “W-ell…OK, Tristan, as long as you’re alright,” he could hear Ryou’s voice of disgust at the thought of helping him to wipe his crap-covered butt. “We’re just checking on you, is all. Your parents were a little worried.”

            “Tell them don’t be. I’m fine.”

            Tristan and Duke waited until their footsteps left the bathroom before heaving a sigh of relief. Tristan punched lightly at Duke’s chest, scowling again.

            “You’re lucky I’m good at bullshitting.”

            Duke gave him a grateful smile before picking him up and leaning over to kiss him again. This time, Tristan didn’t resist. Their tongues fought for dominance as they French-kissed like it was nobody’s business. While they snogged each other senseless, Duke’s free hand crept down to fondle Tristan’s ‘womanhood’. Tristan widened his eyes and wanted to back away at first, but Duke’s firm hold around his waist restricted him.

            “Wait…We can’t…everyone’s waiting for me…”

            “ _Let me make it up to you for that rough treatment last time._ ”

            Tristan bit his lip to keep his moans from escaping as Duke’s skillful fingers rubbed, pinched and massaged his clit, get him wet in no time. With one arm still around Tristan’s waist and its lips continuing to give him soft pecks around his face, Duke finger-fucked him gently, entering one finger after another until three of its finger were pounding deeper into him. Tristan gripped hard at Duke’s ponytail and vest, his face buried onto its shoulder, his muffled voice echoing in the bathroom.

            “P-P-Please…D-D-Duke…No…T-They’re waiting for m-me…” Tristan stammered, tear droplets stung in his eyes, his breathing erratic.

            “ _Oh? So you wish me to stop?_ ” Duke asked teasingly, stopping its thrusts but instead wriggled its fingers inside him.

            “F-F-Fucking p-p-pervert! Hurry up…and m-m-make…me c-cum!”

            “ _Your wish is my command, dear little Soldier._ ”

            With that, Duke leaned Tristan against the door while cradling his head with one hand and started finger-fucking him again, this time in full force. Tristan clamped his mouth shut to muffle the groans and moans that were getting more and more intense. He knew he was close; the familiar tightening of his abdomen was driving him nuts. A few more thrusts sent Tristan off the edge and he let out a suppressed silent scream as he came violently. Again, Duke held him in its embrace to help him ride out the orgasm and sucked its mate’s juice off its fingers.

            “ _Delicious._ ”

            “P-Pervert…You might as well fuck me while you’re at it.”

            “ _Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t do that. It might harm our pup._ ”

            Tristan felt a bulge pressing against his abdomen and didn’t need to think twice to know what’s going on below, “You’re hard.”

            “ _It’s alright._ ”

            “Does it hurt?”

            “ _I’m fine. Make hast with your cleaning and go back to your party. I’m sure they’ll be waiting for you._ ”

            After finally calming down from the orgasm, Tristan reluctantly let go and cleaned himself up. While wearing his pants, he blushed and muttered without looking directly at Duke, “If…it’s OK with you…we can finish this…back home…after the party…”

            “ _Huh?_ ” Duke was surprised to hear those words coming out of its mate who was all tough and no nonsense.

            “I’m not gonna repeat what I’ve just said!” Tristan grumbled as he reached his hand for the door latch. “You in or not?”

            Duke stared at Tristan for a while, weighing out the options, before smiling and said, “ _I’ll see you tonight then, my little Soldier love._ ”

            “You better not be late, or I’ll knock the fucking socks off you!”

            As Tristan walked hurriedly back to the booked room where everyone was (brushing away all questions of him having constipation or whatnot), his heart secretly longed for the party to end and excitedly anticipated tonight’s rendezvous.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi received a visit from his mate after the first couple of days of his pregnancy announcement...
> 
> Note: Demetrius plays a cameo in this chapter, and for those who don't know Demetrius, his original Japanese name is Ushio, and he is the guy who became Yami’s first Shadow Game victim in the manga and anime, and be warned, his character will be OOC due to the AU settings

            “Yugi, you feeling sick again?”

            Demetrius, hall monitor and student council rep in charge of looking out for the wellbeing of the five while they were in their condition, came up to Yugi when he noticed the little frail boy leaning against the window of the school hall after finishing his cleaning duties, breathing heavily. It was obvious that Yugi was still not used to holding his nausea.

            “I…I’m alright, Demetrius. Just a little woozy.”

            “I think it’s about time you paid a trip to the infirmary.”

            “Th-Thanks, Demetrius, but I think I’ll just go home. It’s end of school hours anyway.”

            During this morning sickness period, he and his fellow friends have spent most of their school hours in the infirmary trying to ride out the nausea and keep whatever they ate in and not out. Many of their fellow classmates come in to visit them and ask how they were doing, and sometimes even make use of these visiting moments to skip class, but of course, Illust-chan and Dr. Karita shooed them out the moment they figured those classmates were doing more than just showering concerns over the five. The school had given them exceptions from P.E. and tried to give them less homework as possible so that they could pass this period in peace, and it had lessen their burden more or less. They have personally received a permission letter each from their principal that they would be allowed to be home-schooled once their pregnancies start to show, and Mai had assured them that all expenses would be covered when it comes down to midwifery services. And of course, the student council assigned Demetrius the hall monitor as a rep to look after the five while they were still able to attend school since his big built is enough to scare away any possible wrongdoers towards them.

            Demetrius decided that Yugi was too weak to walk home and gave him a piggyback ride instead, offering to carry his bags along with his own. Demetrius used to have a crush on Yugi and had offered his protection services when the attacks by hormone-crazed men were taking a slight toll on Joey, Tristan and Malik, but him being a pure male, Joey went straight into overprotective mode and warned him to keep his hands away from Yugi. Later during the day, Yugi apologized on Joey’s behalf for his brashness, and softly rejected Demetrius of his love for he wasn’t really into big, bulky guys like him. Demetrius stomached the rejection fairly well, and without the five knowing, had been secretly teaching the pure men who tried to tackle Yugi a lesson all the way to the day they were officially pregnant.

            “Thanks, Demy,” Yugi said, calling him by his nickname he gave him when he told Demetrius that they would always remain friends. “You’re a life saver.”

            “I’m the student council rep, it’s my duty to look out for you guys,” Demetrius replied good-naturedly, “although Joey, Tristan and Malik weren’t exactly making my job any easier.”

            “They’re a little hot-headed, I must admit,” Yugi chuckled. “But they have a heart of gold. Don’t mind anything they said.”

            “If you say so.”

            The sun was setting as the duo was crossing the bridge on their way towards Yugi’s home. Since Yugi’s grandfather was an advisor of Mai Valentine, he and Yugi were considered one of the well-off people of Domino Island, and usually well-off people’s homes are slightly further away from the rest of the community at the other side of the island, and to get there, they had to cross the border that separates the well-offs and the commoners through that bridge.

            “Nice view from here,” Yugi said. “This is one of the reasons why I love living in the other side of the island: so that I can get to see the sun rise and set everyday. I’ll never get tired of it. No one understands why I’m willing to live so far away from school. If only they could.”

            “Then I shall be the first person to do so,” Demetrius replied, grinning as he watched the sunset together with Yugi still on his back.

            “I’m glad that we’re friends, although I cannot return your feelings the way you want it. I still feel bad about…”

            “Don’t worry about it, Yug. I’ve gotten over it. I understand that sometimes things are not meant to be. I’m contented to be just your friend.”

            “I’m glad we’re on the same turf, Demy.”

            While they continued on their journey towards Yugi’s home, they noticed a figure waiting at a distance. It was sitting on the railing of the end of the bridge and was glaring at them with murderous eyes. Only when they managed to get within eyeshot that they noticed it was a Whisperer.

            Yugi held his breath as he stared at the Whisperer. Instinctively, he knew who it was. Its spiky tri-coloured hair shone under the setting sun and kissed its dark tanned skin, making it radiantly majestic. It was wearing a bangle across its forehead that made it look like it had a sort of third eye, and it sort of illuminated its sparkling amethyst eyes. It was wearing a Roman style garment and a pair of sandals, and was sporting wristlets and anklets, with an armlet on its right arm. It also had shoulder-blade armour around its shoulder made of real gold, and it was rather surprising for a quite small but slim and muscular built like to be able to withstand its weight. Its wings spread out like a huge menacing being with a life of its own, and the look on its face could spell a thousand deaths to whoever crosses it.

            “Uh…Is he like your older half-brother or something?” Demetrius asked, his body slightly trembling at the sight of it. It was then Yugi realized that he and his mate were sporting the exact same identical looks, only it was more mature and adult than he was, thus Demetrius’ assumptions.

            “Um…Demy, why don’t you go home? I’ll take care of this,” Yugi gestured Demetrius to put him down.

            “But…”

            “It’s alright, I’ll be fine. I can’t guarantee you, though.”

            Demetrius, though reluctant, nodded and set him down. Giving him and his mate one last look, he took to his heels and trotted off, a little afraid to find out what the Whisperer might do to him. Slowly Yugi walked towards him and tentatively reached up to touch his mate to see if it was real, only to be slapped away and given a very angry glare.

            “ _Who…_ ”

            “Huh? What?” Yugi was taken aback by his mate’s sudden reaction, and his lack of understanding one syllabus words was not helping.

            “ _Who…?!_ ” his mate demanded, its finger pointing accusingly at the disappearing Demetrius.

            “Oh,” Yugi finally got the question. “That’s Demy. He’s my student council rep. He was taking me home.”

            “ _Not…mate…?!_ ”

            “Huh? Wha…No! Of course not! He’s just a friend! He’s just helping me to get home. I wasn’t feeling very well and…”

            “ _Lie…!_ ” his mate looked away, its face looking very upset indeed.

            “Are you…jealous?” Yugi widened his eyes in surprise, his face blushing at the thought of it.

            “ _He…mate…! You…lie…!_ ” his mate insisted, not looking directly at him.

            “I don’t lie, not unless the situation needs it,” Yugi replied, annoyed at the stubbornness of his mate. “And for this situation, I don’t have to lie. You don’t believe me, then fine. Goodbye.”

            Before he could walk off, he felt a pair of arms and wings wrapping him close to a thumping chest.

            “ _Sorry…_ ” his mate whispered, its tone sounding almost hurt.

            “It’s…It’s alright…” Yugi blushed, feeling the warmth of his mate’s body and its thumping heart near his ear. “Were you…were you jealous? I mean, your reaction just now. Were you actually jealous of Demy?”

            The movement against the back of his head signified that his mate had just nodded in admittance.

            “What brings you here?” Yugi asked as he turned to face his mate. “You know you guys can’t really withstand the sun. You could’ve gotten a skin disease or something.”

            “ _Missed…you…_ ” his mate said, scratching its chin in a sort of sheepish way without betraying its pride too much.

            “I’m glad…” Yugi smiled and hugged his mate lovingly, his hopes and dreams finally bearing fruit after hearing those words coming out of its lips. He didn’t care if this was breaking tradition. He didn’t care whether this was lawfully right or not. He didn’t care if he and his mate were really related by blood or not or even if their relationship is considered incest. He didn’t care if anybody or anyone or _anything_ would find out about this. All he cared about was his growing love towards his mate. He never thought he’d believe in love at first sight—or for his case, love at first sex—but now all the disbelief totally melted away into nothingness and his mate’s presence was all that mattered at this very moment of their existence. The sun had disappeared into the horizon by now and the star began to shine in the sky along with the moon, and on the bridge were two figures: a Whisperer and a little teenage human in each other’s arms. People rarely crosses the bridge because both the commoners and the well-offs have their own towns to lighten the burden of constant travel to get supplies and necessities, so unless they were there to visit friends and relatives living on the other side of the island, no one would pass by and notice them there.

            Suddenly Yugi’s cell phone rang. His worried wart of a grandfather had bought it for his 12th birthday as a sign of him finally reaching puberty and also means to keep in touch wherever he went. As he looked at the caller ID, it was no surprise that it belonged to his grandfather’s.

            “Yes, Grandpa?”

            “Yugi! Where are you? I got a call from the student council rep saying that you were in trouble!” his grandfather’s frantic yells were enough to force Yugi to move the cell phone away from his ear. Trust Demetrius to be overprotective and spread the word.

            “Grandpa, I’m fine. It’s just a little misunderstanding.”

            “What misunderstanding? He was calling me to say that he saw a Whisperer parked at the bridge where you kids were on the way home! He thought it could be your half-brother or something, judging by the likeness. So is it really your half-brother??”

            “Well…it’s kinda complicated, really. But he’s not my half-brother or anything…”

            “Then who is he???”

            Yugi sighed. He was tired of being babied and pampered by the ever haphazard grandfather and was about time to have his own secrets and his own way of life. He just briefly replied, “I’ll get back to you, Grandpa” and turned off the cell phone despite the lingering protests from the other side.

            “ _Is…alright…?_ ” his mate asked, pointing at his cell phone.

            “He’ll get over it,” Yugi grinned, for once letting his inner demon taking control. “Now, how about telling me your name? My name’s Yugi, by the way.”

            “ _Yami_ _…_ ” his mate smiled and reached down to kiss those wanton lips it had yearned for ever since the day after the ritual.

            “I…I’m sure you know that I’m with child…” Yugi said, blushing like a little girl. “And um…I’m having twins, so…”

            Yami gave him a knowing look. Of course it should know; it had the keen sense of smell to be able to tell.

            “So, uh…since you’re here…what do you want to do tonight? Can’t do dinner though, the morning sickness is a little…unsettling right now.”

            Yami just smiled and reached down to carry Yugi bridal style, and before he knew it, he found himself up in the air looking at the island through a bird’s eye view. Yugi couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw the island below looking like a miniature version of Domino Island, and its buildings almost as small as those doll houses his girl friends used to play with back when he was in kindergarten. He laughed and whooped as they soared up higher and higher into the night sky, then dipped down towards the island like one would when they were doing bungee-jumping and back up again. Yugi was having the time of his life.

            If only his other friends knew about this and were OK with it, then they would’ve had so much more fun.

            Finally, after enough sky-diving and getting an eyeful of the island, Yami took Yugi high up to the roof of the lighthouse which was situated at the highest mountain of the island. Settling him gently and cozily on its lap, they both overlooked the sea and towards the horizon. They just sat there in comfortable silence, watching the moon rise higher and higher up in the star-lit sky and enjoying each other’s company. Somehow, being with Yami seemed to calm his nerves and he actually forgot to be sick.

            “I gotta admit,” Yugi finally spoke softly, “I’ve wanted to do something like this with you. To be more honest…I was wondering when I am gonna see you again.”

            Yami smiled and purred, nuzzling its nose at Yugi’s ear, making Yugi giggle.

            “Grandpa told me about you Whisperers siring multiples, but I didn’t expect you to hit twins at one shot. My friends Tristan and Malik got one each—lucky them—and Joey got two just like me. Ryou was even worse; he got triplets! I cannot imagine how Ryou would look like if he carried the babies to term.”

            Yami chuckled quietly at the notion.

            “I wish you could meet my friends. You’ll love them. They’re really great people once you get to know them, but unfortunately I know they’re gonna be pissed if they know I’m hanging out with you.”

            “ _Why…?_ ”

            Yugi sighed and told him about the pact they made when they first met each other at the orientation week. He recalled the day they, after becoming decent friends, met up at the school field to have lunch together under the willow tree and them putting their hands on top of each other’s and made a promise to each other to be Whisperer haters for life and wish that their children would be born Whisperer-dominant.

            “I don’t know why I even agreed to the pact in the first place,” Yugi sighed. “I guess I was aiming to please, and deep down inside me, I was afraid of Whisperers and probably over my head with anger about the ancestral deal. Now that I see it wasn’t as bad as it seemed, I feel rather stupid.”

            “ _It’s…okay…_ ” Yami kissed Yugi’s forehead and held him close, telling him with its soft and tender touches that everything would be alright and that he shouldn’t be bothered by such trivial matters.

            “I know it’s a little early and all but…” Yugi scratched his chin bashfully, his face going pink with shyness. “I was wondering…since we know that we’re expecting twins…maybe we could, you know, give them names. You’re the father, so you can do the honours.”

            Yami smirked and pinched Yugi’s nose, teasing him for having such thoughts. It then reached its hand down to point at one side of his belly and whispered, “ _Destiny,_ ” then pointed the other side and whispered, “ _Hope._ ”

            “Destiny and Hope,” Yugi repeated as he rested his hand on Yami’s. “I guess it make sense. Destiny and Hope it is.”

            After sharing a soft kiss, Yugi thought it would be time to go home before the entire island sent for a search party for him. Yami nodded and flew him all the way home. It entered through his bedroom window quietly and settled him onto bed, then left a chaste kiss on his forehead. It was about to leave when Yugi called out, “Wait!”

            Yami stopped at its track and waited while Yugi rummaged through his closet to look for something. He took out a sort of huge upside-down pyramid that was connected to a long chain from a shoebox and wore it around Yami’s neck.

            “This is a family heirloom my grandfather gave it to me when my ‘mother’ died,” Yugi said as he watched Yami fingering the necklace with interest. “My parents were exorcists and this Millennium Puzzle had been handed down from Gozaburo’s line, the first person who owned it. I never really was much of an exorcist to begin with, since my power is only limited to sixth sense and seeing and exorcizing mild spirits, so I never really get to use it. I want you to help me keep it so that…well, if ever our babies are Whisperer-dominant, you can hand it down to them and serve as a reminder of me…sort of…”

            Yami stared at Yugi for a while, its eyes filled both with happiness and pain, before grabbing him in its embrace and held him close to its chest. Again, Yugi felt the shivering of its body like the first time it hugged him after the ritual and was confirmed that Yami was crying. He knew that it was painful for it to think that after the birth, it would never meet again and that their relationship were never meant to be, because he felt the same pang of hurt in his heart as well.

            “Please, Yami. Please don’t cry,” Yugi persuaded, although his eyes were threatening to tear as well.

            “ _I…love…you…my Light…_ ”

            “I…I love you too, Yami…but please, you have to leave…I’m sorry…”

            So saying, Yugi tore off from Yami’s embrace and pushed it towards the window, giving it a sad look in his eyes, telling him to go home. Yami gave one last kiss on its Light’s rosy pink lips before reluctantly jumping off the window and flew off. Yugi watched until it disappeared before falling onto his knees and sobbed, trying as hard as he could to convince himself that this was for the best, that he and Yami were better off apart than having to break the tradition and hurt more people, especially his friends who had trusted him to keep to the pact. After crying to his heart’s content, he wiped the tears off his sodden red eyes before turning his phone on to hear almost a dozen voicemails in it, some of them being Joey and his pals, and a very, very pissed off Tea.

            “Time to face the music,” Yugi sighed, changed into his home clothes and went downstairs to be fussed over by his frantic grandfather, lectured by Tea and bombarded with questions (in which he had to figure out a way to lie about it) by his fellow friends.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is Malik's turn to be visited by his mate, and discovers a surprising truth about himself
> 
> Note: Diesel Kane and his gang will cameo here. I know canonically, they are supposed to be from Gammon High School, but since this is AU and to accommodate this story, I chose to put them as ex-students of Domino High School.

            The bell rang signaling that the ten minutes break is over and the next class was about to begin. While the students made their way to their respective classes, a certain pregnant Egyptian teen herm named Malik Ishtar was in the bathroom for the umpteenth time. He tried to catch his breath as he puked some more, the familiar taste of stomach acid lingering in his tongue. Morning sickness was not something to be reckoned with, and even though he had taken the morning sickness medicine, the effects could only hold out so much.

            Being the most badass of all the five, Malik refused to be confined in the infirmary for long, stating that he was as fit as a fiddle. He would try to go about his days normally, only to come back into the infirmary after having vomited too much and couldn’t stand or sit properly without seeing the world do a huge twister frenzy before his eyes. He often pushed the limits of his endurance before finally giving in to the softness of the infirmary bed, despite the fact that Illust-chan and Dr. Karita had advised him time and time again about the importance of his health for the wellbeing of the baby. Even some of his classmates who were genuinely concerned for him persuaded him in vain to take a break in the infirmary. He wouldn’t give a damn about the baby. There have been cases of miscarriages back then on the teen herms before him. Hell, his senior who was also a hermaphrodite had lost his child due to a fall on the wet bathroom floor and no one blamed him for that accident. Why should he play along and be the goody-good ‘mommy’ to his unborn child? It wasn’t as if they own him or anything.

            Finally, after pretty much emptying out everything he’s got, he flushed the toilet, gargled until the taste of vomit was no longer in his mouth and wobbled out of the boys’ room, making his way to the next class. He was halfway to English class when suddenly he was seized by a few pairs of hands dragging him into the boiler room. It wasn’t after his back was rammed painfully against the warm wall that he realized who his kidnappers were. It was Diesel Kane and his gang grinning at him with those eyes that spelt trouble. Diesel Kane and his gang were previously students of Domino High and were the school’s leading rep team in international yo-yo contests, but also one of the blatant pursuers towards Yugi and Ryou. It was when Joey, Malik and Tristan had to yet again protect Yugi and Ryou from them and caused serious, almost fatal, injuries that they were finally expelled from school under the charge of causing the disturbance of the peace and attempted rape and attempted homicide. Diesel had always blamed Malik, Joey and Tristan for their termination because of them being a herm and the school being biased, and Malik could tell from their looks that their grudge had not been appeased.

            “Well, well, well,” Diesel said, surveying his ‘prey’. “Fancy seeing you here, Ishtar.”

            “What the fuck are you guys doing here?” Malik asked. “I thought the school made it clear with a restraining order that you guys are not welcomed here.”

            “Oh, we know the restraining order alright. But who said anything about complying with them?” Diesel replied, his gang laughing in unison. “The school’s back door is not without its uses, you know.”

            “What do you guys want?” Malik narrowed his eyes in contempt.

            “Why, you, of course,” Diesel said as he took hold of Malik’s chin.

            “Me? What do you want from me that you guys haven’t already got before?”

            “Well, the thing is, I have been into you for a while. You’ve always been the feisty one among your gang of misfits, and although I fancy a nice little submissive herm bitch, it wouldn’t hurt to have an aggressive one once in a while. You, Ishtar, fit the bill perfectly.”

            “Well, sorry to bust your bubble, yo-yo boy, but I’ve already been tapped into, if you get my drift.”

            “Of course we do,” Diesel let his hand roam around his belly. “In fact, I’ve heard that you’ve been preggers with that monster’s child. What could be even sexier than banging a pregnant bitch?”

            “You sick son of a…”

            “Ah, ah, ah,” Diesel wriggled a finger in front of his face while his other hand covered Malik’s mouth. “No foul languages. Your kid might just pick it up from you.”

            Soon, he felt Diesel’s hands moving towards his school uniform and started undressing him while Diesel’s underlings held him down onto the floor and clamped his mouth shut. They must have planned this rather long and well to avoid being caught getting into the school grounds and have definitely wasted no time in putting their plans of shaming Malik into action. As he pulled Malik’s pants down, everyone whooped and whistled as they managed to finally catch a glimpse of a real teen herm’s pussy up close. His underlings cheered him on behind to do him in and not to forget to let them have their share, in which Diesel hastily agreed as he couldn’t wait to get his hands on him.

            “You may not be virgin anymore,” Diesel said as he ran his fingers around Malik’s tongue, forcing him to suck them, “but I can assure you I’m way better than any night monster there is. But it wouldn’t hurt having a little preparation.”

            So saying, he quickly slammed his lubricated fingers into Malik’s ‘womanhood’, finger-fucking him vigorously. Malik yelped in pain to the rude intrusion but couldn’t get free from the strong hold of two of the bulkiest underlings holding his arms down. The rest of Diesel’s underlings quickly made their move, from removing their pants to let Malik suck them off to suckling his slightly erected nipples to playing with his penis to masturbating in front of him. Malik’s body betrayed his mind as it began to feel the pleasure creeping deeper and deeper into his body against his will, what with Diesel’s forceful thrust hitting his G-spot quickly. Malik felt disgusted at thought of him enjoying this but his body wouldn’t comply with his heart. Before he knew it, he was cumming and some of the underlings who were masturbating over him squirted onto his bare body and the person Malik was blowing came into his mouth.

            Everyone laughed at the way Malik coughed and choked as he tried to expel the cum out of his mouth. Diesel slammed Malik back to the missionary position and finally removing his own pants, revealing his hard-on for Malik to see.

            “This is for all the bitching and defeats you and your friends caused me, and also for getting us expelled, and you may very well send this message to the rest of them.”

            Before Diesel could stick it into Malik, the atmosphere suddenly changed in the boiler room. Instead of the warmth that often emitted out of the boiler, the room became deathly cold, and everyone was breathing out mists from their mouths. Even some of the pipes of the boiler began to freeze over slightly, crackling and crunching as the cold spread throughout the whole room. They began to shiver and became rather aware of something watching them with menacing intent. Malik thought he recognized this aura but he was too disgusted with his own predicament to pay attention to it.

            “What the hell…? Who turned off the boiler?! You, go check it out!” Diesel said as he put his pants back on, shivering with cold. The underling went off to check the machine, only to find himself being lifted up in the air by the neck through an invisible force and rammed onto the nearest wall. The others checked on him and also ended up being flung everywhere, leaving Diesel alone with Malik who was still disoriented by the ordeal.

            “Who’s there?! Show yourself, you fucking coward!”

            As if answering him, the perpetrator showed itself from behind a secluded area of the boiler room. It was sporting a leather sleeveless shirt that rode all the way up to half of its torso and a pair of grunge-like brown canvas pants that were torn on the end. It had a dark violet torn-at-the-ends cape hanging loosely over its huge bat-like wings, and it had a silver choker, silver armlets, anklet and wristlets wrapped around its tan-dark skin. Its dark grayish-silver hair shimmered under the red light of the boiler room and its purplish-blood red eyes glowered within the dim-lit room, glaring murderously at Diesel, its fists clenched tightly and its low growls scaring even the bravest of lions.

            “Ma…Malik? But it’s impossible…You’re here!” Diesel exclaimed as he realized the being that stood before him was a Whisperer who looked exactly like Malik, but only more evil-looking and more menacing. “H…Hey, if you’re Malik’s half-brother or something, it’s not what it looks! I…!”

            The Whisperer was not in a mood for conversation or excuses. Without warning, it roared and materialized black tendrils of aura from underground and picked Diesel and his underlings up one by one, pinning them altogether at one corner of the room and, with a snap of its fingers, sent the tendrils crawling slowly and painfully into their skin through their veins, piercing them out in tiny rose thorn-like spikes and tearing through their clothes. The whole school would’ve heard their agonized screaming by now if it weren’t for some force of magic created by the Whisperer that caused their screams to be silent and inaudible. Blood began to trickle and drip all over the floor as the tendrils crawled closer and closer towards their faces, wrapping itself within the veins and the inner walls of the skin of the rest of their bodies. The Whisperer chuckled long and low as it watched its victims being tortured beyond mercy and their silent screams overpowered by the machine of the boiler room.

            “S..Stop! Stop it!”

            The Whisperer spun round as it felt its cape being tugged by Malik, who had finally recovered from his disorientation and saw everything that had happened. His eyes was mixed with shock and horror as Diesel and the gang continued to be pierced from within, more and more of their blood staining the ground. He could tell from its eyes and built that it was his mate he had sex with during the ritual and judging by the way it administered its punishment to Diesel Kane and his gang, at this rate, they would be begging to die.

            “Stop it! Don’t kill them! Stop it!”

            “ _No…!_ ” his mate replied, pulling its cape off his hands, only to be gripped back again.

            “You’re gonna kill them! I don’t mind you punishing them, but this is too much!”

            “ _They…want…rape…!_ ” his mate growled, pointing at the gang accusingly. “ _Why…help…?!_ ”

            “They didn’t fuck me, not yet anyway! I’m alright! Just let them go!”

            “ _I…want…them…DEAD…!!!_ ” his mate spoke its first full Human sentence before snapping its fingers to make the tendrils crawl even slower and the spikes sharper, earning an even more pained look of torture on the gang’s face.

            “That’s enough! Dammit, you stupid fucking Whisperer, stop it! You’re killing them!!!”

            “ _No…!!!”_

            Malik couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing them being tortured reminded him of the night his mate tortured him into submission with its searing fiery heat and breaking his hard shell into a million pieces. Seeing the blood staining on the floor more and more brought him back to the night when he was bombarded by the pain and pleasure given by his sadistic mate. Somehow, he felt as if this sort of pain is supposed to be meant for him alone and no one else. If anyone was qualified to experience pain, it was him and him only. There was no reason why anyone else should endure it but him. It was almost as if he was being betrayed. He placed a trembling hand onto his mate’s cape and started to sob desperately beyond his emotional control.

            “Please…Please, Master…Let them go…It was my fault they acted the way they did…Please, Master, don’t kill them…Please…”

            His mate widened its eyes in disbelief at the title it was given. Its heart melted just enough to comply with its human mate’s wishes. It spat out a hiss and, almost immediately as it came, the tendrils disappeared and the wounds on the gang’s body were gone, as if none of this had ever happened. It released its capture over their voices and let them fall onto the floor one by one, the blood stain on the floor disappearing in thin air. They found themselves breathing erratically and groaning in disbelief as they couldn’t find a single scratch on them. Diesel was about to ask what the hell was going on but was met with the Whisperer’s glaring gaze to beat it. Traumatized by their ordeal, regardless it was real or just an illusion, they took to their heels and were running for their dear lives.

            As soon as the gang was gone, Malik’s mate turned to him and grabbed his collar, hissing, “ _Why…?!_ ”

            “I…I don’t know…I just don’t want them to be hurt…”

            “ _You…love…him…rape…?!_ ” it roared in demand, shaking him like a rag doll.

            “No…”

            “ _Then…?! Why…?!_ ”

            “Please…Please, Master, you’re…hurting our baby…”

            It was the first time Malik ever actually showed that he cared for the baby’s safety. His mate glared at him for a while before craning its head downwards to sniff his stomach. Its eyes widened for a moment before it held onto him tightly and transported them both to the old section of the school building. It was sealed for demolition and rebuilding by next week and no one had ever dared set foot into it for fear of loose ceiling tiles and falling scaffolding, so it seemed no one would be showing up to find out about them, and it was shady enough to protect Malik’s mate from the glares of the sun as it was in front of a small forest. There was a nearby well that still held rainwater within it and his mate whispered a spell over it. The water rose out of the well and separated into millions upon millions of water droplets that brushed through every inch of Malik’s body, cleaning him off the cum. It then blew a warm breath which immediately dried Malik off and helped him put his clothes back on. It purred and laid its hand on his belly, stroking it and looking at him questioningly with eyes that were still evil-looking, but with a slight hint of concern.

            “Yes, it’s our baby. Only one though. Three of my friends got the unfortunate luck of having multiples.”

            “ _Why…help…them…?_ ” his mate was still adamant to know the answer to his recent action.

            “I don’t really know,” Malik replied awkwardly. “I guess…well…maybe I felt that their pain belonged to me. I’m the only one you can hurt, I guess. I can’t stand other people experiencing the same thing you gave me. God, I really am a sucker for punishment, ain’t it?”

            His mate stared at him for a while, then smirked deviously and said, “ _Call…me…_ ”

            “What?” Malik was confused.

            “ _Master…Call…me…_ ”

            Malik finally got what it was trying to say. He lowered his head like a respectful slave would and whispered, “Master. My Master.”

            His mate purred and stroked his cheek. It then grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled it so that Malik’s face was looking up at him before reaching down to give him a deep, passionate kiss. The kiss lasted very long and Malik had tried to catch his breath for a few seconds before being pulled back into the kiss again. After his mate had its fill, it let him go to allow him to catch his breath while it continued to trace its fingers around every part of Malik’s head.

            “ _I…Marik…Master…Marik…_ ” his mate stated its name in a matter-of-fact way, expecting Malik to acknowledge it. Malik was already into this depth. There was no turning back now.

            “Yes, Master Marik. Your wish is my command.”

            “ _You…Mine…_ ”

            “Yes, Master Marik, I belong to you and you alone.”

            “ _You…No one…Touch…_ ”

            “Yes, Master Marik. I will never allow anyone else to touch me ever again.”

            “ _Take care…Pup…_ ”

            “I will look after this baby like it were my very own life, Master.”

            “ _Or else…?_ ”

            “You may punish me as you see fit.”

            “ _Good…Good…little…Dark…Chocolate…_ ”

            So saying, Marik took off its silver choker and wore it around Malik’s neck, stating that he alone is its own property and will not be taken by another. Malik thanked it for its generosity and it allowed him to hug it as gratification. Malik finally accepted everything that had happened to him over the past few hours as it was. He no longer wondered how his mate knew that he was in trouble and came over to rescue him. He no longer worried if the likeness between them was a serious indication of incest. He no longer cared about what his friends would think seeing him like this towards a Whisperer he had vowed along his friends to hate forever. He no longer needed to uphold his pride and pretend to be all roughin’ and toughin’ like he always did. He was actually tired of being in control all the time and wanted to be controlled for once. As he let his Master Marik give him one last caress and one last kiss on the forehead before it disappeared into the forest and into the shades of darkness, he had finally came to a revelation.

            He wanted to be tortured.

            He wanted to be in this pleasurable pain.

            He wanted to be dominated, subdued and tamed.

            He wanted to be _owned_.

            And he loved every single minute of it.

            Now, if only he could find a way to convince his friends to ignore the possible uproar caused by Diesel Kane and his gang about being attacked by his so-called ‘half-brother’.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang's mates got themselves in trouble as their secret rendezvous with the gang had been discovered. Warning: long winded chapter ahead...

            “I am very disappointed with all of you.”

            The atmosphere was rather grave and tense as five Whisperers were seated among the council, chaired by the Head of the Clan and Lord of the Outer Beings, namely Lord Seth and Maximillion Pegasus. The five Whisperers in question were Yami, Seto, Bakura, Duke Devlin and Marik, and they were all seated in the middle of the council hall, surrounded left and right by officials of the council looking seriously at them, and Lord Seth and Maximillion Pegasus seated on the throne at the front end of the council hall. Lord Katz was seated on one of the steps of the throne beside Lord Seth and was looking sadly at the five, his gaze mostly concentrated on Yami and Seto.

            “I would’ve expected this sort of attitude from my blood brother,” Seth said as he gave a grudging look at his nonchalant twin, “but to think that the four of you behaving the same way as he did! What have you to say for yourselves, brothers?”

            “My deepest and sincerest apologies, milord,” Yami started but then was stopped by Seto.

            “We don’t have to apologize for this, Brother Yami. We were only acting out of the purest of feelings towards our human counterparts.”

            “And what has that led you to?” Seth stood up and stomped towards his twin. “You abandoned your post, you failed to show up during the most crucial of meetings, you slacked off from your responsibilities and you set a bad example among your fellow brothers!”

            “If that is what it takes to appreciate true love, I dare say I do not regret it a single moment, brother!” Seto challenged, standing up as well and sporting a scowl identical to his twin. Everyone in the hall held their breaths as the twin brothers were neck to neck in fury.

            Due to Marik’s attack towards Diesel Kane and his gang, it didn’t take long for the rumours of Whisperers visiting their mates to spread to the middle men of the human society and they immediately relayed it back to the middle men of the Outer Beings, with the reps of Night Clan and Sky City included. The first suspect Marik and Seto was immediately named, and then in order to protect them and not go through this alone, Duke, Yami and Bakura confessed to their escapades.

            Bakura was supposed to be on a mission to retrieve information from the enemy lines, but had jumped ship to visit his little Princess, and when his group members realized he was gone and caught his scent in the infirmary of Domino High, they were upset and hissed for him to leave, which was the reason why Bakura’s visit to Ryou was cut short, and it took quite a sum of bribery to keep his group members quiet about his escapades. Duke was supposed to meet up with the middle men of the humans to get a news update on the conditions of the teen herms, but hearing that they were pregnant, including his Soldier, he couldn’t help straying away from his team to go look for Tristan to confirm it from himself, and got carried away with it when he didn’t show up at Yami Forest where they were supposed to meet up to go home, but instead sat on Tristan’s rooftop all night to wait for him to come back so that they can finish where they left off in the restaurant toilet. Yami, on the other hand, was supposed to retrieve Seto and bring him back home before his twin realized that he was, again, not at his post, but was sidetracked when he saw his Light riding on someone else’s back. Jealousy overtook him and before he knew it, he was spending half of the night with Yugi and forgot all about his mission, causing Seto to be caught and scolded for the umpteenth time.

            Seto did not need to hide or explain his actions, since his escapades were not much of a secret anyway, but after regular disappearance of Yami, Duke and Bakura from their posts since their second meeting with their human mates ( **considering technically their first meeting was during the ritual** ), it began to raise questions as to their whereabouts. The five friends soon knew of their hidden secret and promised not to tell anyone about it. It wasn’t much of a regular visit, but they managed to meet their human mates whenever they can and try to abide by their posts, unlike Seto who shirked his as easy as drinking water.

            Marik, the cold and demonic of the five, never really shown any interest in this whole escapade thing, but during that fateful day when he was supposed to be out in the human world looking for a Bad Seed in the proximity after getting a tip-off from the human middle men, he caught Malik’s scent when he passed by Domino High and somehow felt deep in his gut that he was in trouble. He didn’t want to care at first, but the slow fire of passion that was lit when he first met Malik came ablaze, and he couldn’t hold back his anger and fury when he saw what Diesel Kane and his gang were doing to his mate. In the end, Marik’s attack towards Diesel Kane set off the whole trigger with just that one visit to Malik and blew off their cover, and was the reason for them being faced in front of their Lord and their Outer Being King to endure such interrogation.

            “Please, milord, we were just a little concerned about our human counterparts,” Duke spoke up. “They are with child, and we just wanted to make sure that they are alright.”

            “They have their human friends and families to look after them,” one of the council members spoke. “And they have the best human midwives and medical care provided for them. There is no need for us to put our concerns over them.”

            “He is right, Brother Duke,” another council member spoke. “We have never set foot on the human world to watch over our human mates when the humans themselves can do it for them. It has always been the tradition for us to sire their child and attend the birthing event…”

            “It all goes down to tradition always, isn’t it?!” Seto snapped at him. “For centuries we have been abiding traditions that have been more than useless to our customs today! Is that all you can think of? Traditions?! Even those that have never been written in black and white?!”

            “You will behave yourself in front of the council, brother,” Seth said as he glared at him sternly. “Remember, you are on trial here.”

            “If I may be so bold, milord,” Bakura said, raising his hand. “Times have changed. Humans have progressed along with it. Why can’t we? Why must we abide to something that has never been a mandatory rule? What if something went wrong with our human mates and the pups within them? What then of our future lineage?”

            “Then it is something we cannot avoid,” another council member replied. “As we’ve mentioned, the humans are not our main priority. If they lose their pups or their lives, we will sire another later. It has always been the way of the Whisperers.”

            “How can you all be so cold?!” Marik stood up, his chains clinked and clanged loudly. Due to the fact that he was a Royal Executioner and a dangerous person even without using his powers, he had to consent to being suppressed with cursed chains on his wrists and ankles so that he wouldn’t hurt anyone in court unintentionally. “My human mate was almost raped by a bunch of hooligans! Think of what it could do to the pup! _My_ pup!”

            “Well, think of what could have happened if you actually killed those so-called hooligans,” Seth replied. “The humans would have a riot against us. We have enough complications as it is with the aftershocks of war. The Bad Seeds are upon us and are plotting to overthrow our King as we speak, and we are nowhere near finding their hideout _and_ we are losing more and more allies by the minute. Do you think _they_ care what happens to your pup? As our brother have mentioned, there is always someone else to sire a pup.”

            “I will sire no one’s child but his,” Marik hissed, his aura starting to seep through the atmosphere of the hall. Bakura had to force him to sit down and calm down before he brought the whole building into shambles.

            “Do not make brash decisions, Marik,” another council member voiced out. “We are only allowed to sire a child to a human once, and then move on to the next during the next ritual. No human has ever been sired a child twice by the same Whisperer, unless if you are a human as well. It has always been the way of the Whisperers, and it has always been the Unbreakable Deal and Promise we made to the humans. No more, no less. Are you trying to suggest that we should break a tradition and way of life that has been upheld for centuries just for a mere human being?”

            “And why not?” Seto asked. “Is it so wrong to take a different path of life? We’ve already lived so separately from the humans and have to depend on middle men to travel such long distances to communicate with us. If we must breed with them, why can’t we live together openly at least in the first place?”

            “Haven’t you been hearing a single word we’ve said so far, brother?” Seth bellowed, losing his patience. “We are still at war! The last thing we want is the humans to know that there is still imbalance in the system! They are better off being ignorant and let us handle the civil war within ourselves and let them live in peace!

            “They have already been through a lot of hardships having to face human extinction and going through this ritual made by His Majesty and the people centuries ago. We are already dying trying to win the fight amongst ourselves and facing extinction as well, what with more and more of us moving on to the White Horizon, leaving us young ones to bear the burden. Do you wish your human mates to be involved in this as well? Do you wish for them to die the way we are dying right now?!”

            Seto was at loss of words. He didn’t know what else to retaliate for deep down inside him, he knew there was some truth in what Seth said. He let out a frustrated growl and sat back down. Yami reached over to squeeze his arm, telling him that it’s best if he kept a level head at the moment.

            Maximillion Pegasus, after silently but intently listening to everyone’s argument, cleared his throat to catch everyone’s attention before he spoke.

            “As our defendants here have spoken, it is true that we have been holding on to an unwritten tradition for so long and have forgotten the true value of loving someone. Some of us in the past may have developed certain feelings towards our mates, whether we admit it or not, but have been suppressed due to the fact that we have to abide to tradition and thought that there is nothing we can do about it, and vice versa for humans as well. I feel for their plight as I, too, have lost my lovely wife Cecelia to the Plague, and if I were to go to the ends of the world to just catch a glimpse of her, I am willing to take the chance. Our defendants here can be considered a wake up call for us to start reconsidering if the deal and promise made to the humans centuries ago are questionable at this time and era.

            “However, I will have to agree with Lord Seth that it is not wise to pursue your human counterparts at this time of turmoil. Ever since the Duelist Phantom War ended and our females dwindled to nothingness, the aftershocks of war, especially when it came to territorial disputes, is not something we can take lightly with. It is a burden we must face alone because humans are fragile, and if they were to get involved in this, who knows what the Bad Seeds would do to both us and the human race. They might probably try to rid the world of humans, dethrone us from our rightful positions and homes, and it would bring about the total upset of balance and eventually the end of life itself.

            “Therefore, I am willing to pardon our defendants’ misgivings. The unwritten tradition still stands, but to make sure this sort of escapade doesn’t happen again,” Maximillion Pegasus paused for a moment and glanced knowingly at Katz. Katz was hesitant at first, but finally came up to the five seated in the middle of the hall.

            “Forgive me, brothers. Forgive me, brother dearest,” Katz whispered sadly at Seto and the gang and held out an amulet, whispering a few words of incantation. Within seconds, a huge white dragon materialized in the middle of the hall, its roars echoed through the walls and could be heard almost a few miles within the proximity of Sky City. The five gasped as they saw Katz summoning the Forbidden Blue, the only living Duelist Phantom that was sealed within the Sacred Incantation and was the scariest and strongest of all Duelist Phantoms that they have fought during the War. It was the only Phantom that could not be sent into the Abyss and Gozaburo, finding this the only last resort, sacrificed his life as an incantation to seal his spirit within the Phantom and subdue it, breaking its soul beyond repair and became a mere lifeless puppet supported only by whatever was left of Gozaburo’s spirit. Katz inherited his father’s power of the Royal Shaman and since Katz was brought up to the throne and back into the royal lineage after marrying Seth, he was entrusted with this Sacred Incantation that used to belong to his father.

            It loomed around the five, studying them intensely with its bright icy-blue eyes, and it was those eyes that earned it the name ‘Forbidden Blue’. Everyone in the hall, including Seth, held their breath and trembled a little as the dragon went about sniffing and glaring at the five who probably looked as if they would wet their pants. It rumbled in its throat for a moment, considering the five, before looking up back at its master. Katz, after receiving the nod from Maximillion Pegasus, nodded at the dragon, giving it the green light to do its job. Without warning, it opened its wide jaws and clamped hard at Seto’s shoulder, piercing his shoulder-blade armour and drawing blood. Seto’s scream rang on everyone’s ear and if it weren’t for the huge tail and wings that blocked his friends, they would’ve issued a tug-of-war with the Forbidden Blue by now, their life be damned. It did the same to all the other four and soon, five Whisperers were groaning and writhing on the floor, clutching their shoulders in pain and wallowing on their own pool of blood as the council watched them suffer the wrath of the Forbidden Blue’s fangs. Katz recited the reverse version of the incantation and the dragon disappeared back into the amulet. He wanted to help them ease their pain but Seth held him back, making him join the audience as well.

            As Seto struggled to get up, the bite marks soon began to morph into some sort of symbol, moving as if it had a life of its own. The bite marks on the back of his shoulder joined together with the one in the front to become a very big shape, and meshing together with the blood that still trickled out of the wound, it was sporting a huge dark crimson and was growing by the minute. The same thing happened to the rest of the four, and by the time the bite marks stopped morphing, the five soon found themselves sporting a huge tattoo-like scar that looked like the letter S set on fire.

            “To make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Maximillion Pegasus continued his verdict, “you are to be branded the mark of the Forbidden Blue. Unless for businesses under direct orders from Lord Seth and Lord Katz, in which Lord Katz will issue a suppressant onto the mark, you are forbidden to leave Sky City. If you should ever set foot out of Sky City, without the suppressant, the mark will constrict your heart and suffocate you to death the minute you are beyond Sky City proximity, and it will react just the same when you stray away from your orders that allow you to leave Sky City to see your human mates. Are we all clear on this?”

            The five, especially Seto and Marik, would’ve showered a ton of swears and curses known to every Whisperer alive if they weren’t faced by the Ruler of all Outer Beings. No one said a word, but nodded gravely to his decision. Seth jerked his head a little at Katz, signaling him to tend to the five. Katz quickly came to them and led them to the Medicinal Chamber. Katz dismissed all the servants as he wanted to do this personally to make up for what he was forced to do, and couldn’t stop sobbing as he washed off the blood and issued painkillers to douse the throbbing pain. The five wanted to kick him out, to yell at him and scold him for being such a nuisance and not to gloat at their pain, but seeing tears pouring out of the royal Halfling’s eyes as he went about with his work—and the fact that he’s pregnant—they hadn’t the heart to do so.

            “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…” Katz cried as he wrapped the last of the bandages and gave Bakura his painkillers. “I’m so sorry…I didn’t want to do this…I’m so sorry…”

            “It’s alright, brother-in-law,” Seto replied, for once not calling Katz by that title in disgust, “It’s not your fault. It is our burden and our shame to bear. Do not blame yourself over this.”

            “Yes, milord,” Yami agreed. “This is our problem. We can handle them. You take care of yourself; your unborn bairns need you to be strong.”

            “It’s just…I just…I just feel so guilty…I never meant to hurt you…”

            “Milord, please stop blaming yourself,” Duke comforted. “You had to do what you are told to do. There is no choice for this matter.”

            “We just hope my Princess can do without me around,” Bakura said sadly.

            Marik didn’t reply, but his eyes, though the usual malicious look, still spoke of his concern to his Dark Chocolate as well.

            “I’m sure they can survive the rest of the moons without us,” Seto said. “My Puppy is a strong person. I know he can handle it.”

            Though he spoke it, he knew it was further from the truth, and even though his four friends convinced themselves that their human mates would also be the same, their doubts still linger…

\--:--

            Two dark figures were waiting outside Yami Forests, lingering around as if waiting for someone. Moments later, a small figure appeared from within Yami Forests and approached the two.

            “You’re late,” the first dark figure growled, her red eyes glowed in the dark.

            “Sorry, milady, I got here as soon as I could,” the small figure replied timidly.

            “So, what’s the update?” the other figure, a man’s voice, asked.

            “They have been restrained. Maximillion Pegasus himself issued the order.”

            “Good,” the lady figure replied. “We’ve got most of the big shots out of the way now. Who would’ve thought a little tampering in the scent mark would do the trick.”

            “Here’s your reward,” the man figure said as he tossed a jingling bag at the small figure. “Keep us updated, and carry on helping us with the recruit.”

            “Yes, milord, milady,” the small figure bowed, then disappeared back into the forests.

            “Shall we proceed, sister?” the man figure asked the lady figure.

            “Yes, I believe we shall.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their mates' absence had caught the gang's attention, and they meet up to finally reveal the truth to each other and find out what might have happened to them...

            Joey was at his old haunt, which was on the open field of an abandoned airport, gazing towards the sky, his mind wandering to the wondrous days he had spent with his darling Whisperer Seto. The abandoned airport was supposedly scheduled to be renovated into a theme park next year, and Joey decided to spend its last remaining days on earth sort of keeping it company till the day comes to be demolished and renovated. He let out a sigh and rubbed his protruding belly, smiling as he felt a slight movement within him.

            Together with his fellow friends, Joey had finally reached to the middle of the 6th month of his pregnancy. After their morning sickness period left, Joey and the gang was bombarded with the ailment of constant hunger. They would be seen nibbling something in the middle of class, may it be beef jerky, a hotdog, crackers or whatever their cravings were, until the teacher had no choice but to ask them to go to the infirmary and eat whatever they needed to eat there. And speaking of cravings, as their pregnancy progressed to the 3rd month, the entire residents of Domino High had to undergo the horror and disgust of the five’s unusual cravings. While friends looked in horror at Joey’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches mixed with ketchup and a whole sardine with mayo and Yugi’s triple fudge sundae smothered in whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, almond nuts and marmalade jam, others would puke at the sight of Tristan eating fried rice mixed with strawberry ice-cream and coke and Ryou gobbling bowls upon bowls of sushi mixed with melted vanilla ice-cream and chocolate-dipped tempura, not to mention Malik eating raw fish heads and fish eye balls while downing glasses of green wheatgrass mixed with orange soda. During that time period of cravings, either the classroom or the cafeteria would always be empty, whichever place they wanted to dine during recess.

            Then came the mood swings. Tristan and Malik’s usual temper would go up the roof if things did not go accordingly and many people had to suffer their wrath. Ryou and Yugi would burst into tears at the simplest of poetry during English classes, and Joey would laugh at the most unlikely parts of the scene, i.e. parts where war and killing are involved, during History classes where they have to watch a historical documentary and discuss it in class. Seeing the sudden changes of their demeanour and the effect they were giving to their fellow classmates (and complaints from the students and teachers), the Principal decided to let them be home-schooled earlier than planned, much to the relief of the school board. Experienced teachers that had a history of teaching the most demanding and notorious pregnant teen herms were sent by Mai, and Illust-chan along with her team of midwives were assigned to make regular trips to their homes to check on their condition.

            As predicted by Illust-chan, during the 4th month of their pregnancy, they began to experience growth spurts in their belly. The time difference between them was rather far, but it was the same experience nonetheless. Joey woke up with a stomach cramp in the middle of the night of the first day, while Yugi felt it during breakfast on the 5th day. Tristan and Malik felt it halfway through their home-schooling on the 3rd and 7th day respectively and Malik felt it sometime during the evening on the 9th day. It worried their parents to no end (mostly Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler because they’ve never had any experience in pregnancies), thinking that they could be experiencing premature labour, but after Illust-chan’s inspection, their fear was eased with the fact that the babies in them were just growing to accommodate the size of a person who would be 6 months pregnant. It would start unexpectedly and sometimes at the most godforsaken hours and it almost drove the ‘mothers’-to-be up the wall with its discomfort, as they were not allowed to have painkiller and have to ride it out for at least two hours. It pained their parents to see their children in so much suffering, but there was nothing they could do but help them ride it out by being by their side and coax them through the ordeal.

            Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the growth spurts finally stopped at their 5th month of pregnancy. By then, the outrageous cravings have slowed down a little and they were eating as normally as possible, with the help of Illust-chan and her team of midwives recommending the proper diet for them. Home-schooling went like usual without a fuss as the mood swings had subsided, although frequenting the bathroom had not. They began to feel another physical change on them during that month though, which was the slight enlargement of their breasts to accommodate the milk they need for breast-feeding. It wasn’t that obvious, as their size were no larger than an average A cup, but Illust-chan urged them to start wearing custom-made maternity bras just to get used to it. So far, there have not been any complications of the babies and all the teen ‘mothers’-to-be of Domino Island were issued a clean bill of health every fortnight’s checkup.

            Perhaps the most comforting of all issues was the fact that Joey and the gang were getting visits from their Whisperer mates. Their visits were not very frequent, and sometimes can go for 2 weeks without visiting, but when they did visit, they were a sight for sore eyes. Seto would cradle Joey in its arms and shower him sweet butterfly kisses on him, telling him in his mono-syllabus words that he was doing a very good job being a ‘mother’, and if Joey’s growth spurt happened in the middle of the night, Seto would help him through it. Yami would put its ear on Yugi’s pregnant belly and would never get tired of listening to the heartbeat and the movement its babies Destiny and Hope were making inside Yugi. Duke would compliment Tristan, saying how ‘motherly’ he looked being pregnant, and would satisfy his sexual desires whenever he wanted it. Bakura did a good job giving Ryou emotional reassurance, including easing Ryou’s frantic thoughts about being fat, since he was the only one carrying triplets. Marik, although not in a very gentle manner, rewarded Malik for his efforts of carrying its pup so far and took care that his ‘rewards’ did not leave a negative impact on Malik’s pregnancy. All in all, the five had their fair share of being loved and pampered by their mates, but took care not to tell each other about it. They still go about saying how troublesome it was carrying the babies in them just for show, but somehow stopped going to the temple to pray for their children to be Whisperer-dominant. Though they used the excuse like “praying at home” or “parents not letting me go out in this condition” or “too tired” and all, they were secretly glad because not only they didn’t have to worry about betraying their friendship, but at the same time they didn’t have to feel guilty every time they went praying when all they wished for was the opposite.

            Then, almost suddenly, the Whisperer’s visit routine just stopped at the second week of their 5th month pregnancy. Not a sign, not a word, not even a hint indicating that their Whisperer mates were coming anytime soon. They constantly reminded themselves with convincing excuses like “they may be busy with their stuff” or “maybe their own family needs them” or “they’ll be coming soon”, but their hearts were filled with worry as to what if things weren’t as simple as they thought it would. What if they got hurt? What if something went wrong with their world? What if they were caught breaking tradition and were being punished? The Whisperer were, after all, magical beings, and magical beings have their ways of finding out foul-play. But if that were the case, why weren’t they caught too? After all, they were also in the wrong for breaking tradition and falling in love with their Whisperer mates. Would they not be turned in to the authorities by now?

            “Seto…” Joey whispered to himself, his hand placed protectively against his belly. “Where are ya?”

            “You know, dark green is so not your colour.”

            Joey spun round to see Tristan pushing Ryou on his wheelchair, grinning at him from ear to ear. Ryou, due to his heavy condition and his rather small built, had to take to traveling on the wheelchair because of the strain of the weight on his feet and ankles, but other than that, his and the babies’ health were hunky-dory fine.

            “Ugh, I know,” Joey groaned as he tugged at the dark green maternity shirt he was wearing. “But Ma made it fer me, and it would break her heart if I eva refused.”

            “Being the Mommy’s Boy as usual,” Malik came in, with Yugi following behind his wake.

            “Ain’t nothin’ tuh do wif being Momma’s Boy, Malik,” Joey punched lightly at Malik’s shoulder, who in turn punched him back.

            “At least you’re not asked to wear women’s clothing,” Ryou replied. “My ‘mom’ got this from an old acquaintance of his. She kept all the maternity clothes her ancestors used to wear back then when women could still give birth and thought I might make good use of them. This one I’m wearing used to date back in the 17th century.”

            “Dang!” Joey replied as he admired the handiwork. “That is some old shit!”

            “Everyone who saw Ryou thought he had just gone through a sex change or something,” Tristan grinned, earning a bashful scowl from Ryou. “It was rather hilarious watching the girls fussing over him and calling him a ‘cute little princess’, what with the dress and all.”

            “I am so ditching this dress after I give birth,” Ryou pouted, tugging grudgingly at the ends of the skirt.

            “What are you doing here anyways, Joey?” Yugi asked as he settled down on a random pile of metal as his means of sitting.

            “Just thinkin’ bout stuff, is all. Imma gonna miss dis place. We spent most of our high school ditchin’ ‘ere.”

            “Yeah,” Malik agreed, looking about the open field. “To think they’re gonna set up a theme park here. Where else can we hang out then?”

            “Most likely nowhere,” Tristan replied. “Since we’re gonna be tied up with other things up ahead, like college, work, taking care of little brats…well, that is if we get Human-dominant kids and have human kids of our own, not that I wish it so.”

            “Yeah,” Yugi replied halfheartedly. “There’s nothing more troublesome than having to look after kids that belonged to weirdo-s now, isn’t it?”

            “Ya said it, Yug,” Joey gave him a thumbs-up, although his heart was screaming protests about it.

            Suddenly Ryou burst into tears without warning. He tried to suppress it with his hands but Yugi, who was nearest to him, noticed his change of mood.

            “What’s wrong, Ryou? Are you alright? Is it the mood swings?”

            “I…I can’t take it anymore…! I can’t continue lying like this…!” Ryou sobbed, burying his face in his hands. The rest of the gang began to gather around him, genuinely worried.

            “Hey, Ryou, wassup?” Joey rubbed the frail little teen’s back, trying to make him feel better. “Wat’s botherin’ ya, boy?”

            “I…I can’t…I can’t…I…I miss him so much…I…”

            “What’re you talking about, Ryou?” Tristan asked.

            “I have been…keeping a secret from you guys…for so long…I don’t think I can handle it anymore…not when I’m not seeing him for so long…”

            “Let me guess,” Malik sat on another pile of metal ware to face Ryou, “you’ve been meeting your Whisperer mate secretly, haven’t you?”

            “H-H-How did you know?” Ryou looked up at him in surprise, his tears still flowing freely out of his sparkling brown eyes.

            “Let’s just say…” Malik revealed the silver choker around his neck for his friends to see, “I didn’t exactly get this from my cousin.”

            Everyone looked at each other in silence, not sure what to say. The silence between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife or break like glass with the sound of pin dropped. All of them were trying to get their facts straight and comprehend what was actually going on. None of them said a single word, aside from Ryou’s occasional sniffs. The eerie old abandoned airport that used to be so silent without anyone around got even more silent with the five’s awkward quietness between them.

            Finally, all of a sudden, Joey chuckled, first quietly, then louder and louder until he burst out laughing like a maniac. He had to hold onto Ryou’s wheelchair and make himself sit down on an old airplane tire lying around nearby to support himself. Soon, the laughter spread its contagious effect as one by one, starting from Yugi all the way to Malik, laughed out loud, joining Joey’s madness. The whole airport echoed with their laughter and the ice was broken as the young ‘mothers’-to-be laughed louder, longer and harder than they had ever laughed before in their entire life. If they weren’t in need of breath and their sides aching, they would’ve laughed even more throughout the day.

            “God! Imma so relieved tuh hear ya say dat, Malik!” Joey exclaimed, clapping Malik’s shoulder. “I tot I was gonna go crazy keepin’ in all dis shit!”

            “Yeah, I don’t think I could’ve kept the secret any longer either,” Malik replied, wiping off the laughter tears from his eyes. “I guess we owe it all to Ryou.”

            “I don’t know whether I’m supposed to be sorry or honoured about this,” Ryou said, feeling both relieved and out-of-sorts at the same time.

            “It is a relief to finally get things off my chest,” Yugi sighed in relief. “I just hope you guys are not mad at me for hiding this. I thought I knew how much the pact meant to you guys.”

            “Hey, if the pact is more important than our true friendship, I wouldn’t be here laughing along with you guys at all,” Tristan said as he ruffled Yugi’s tri-coloured hair. “I’m just glad we didn’t drag this any longer than we should. And don’t worry, Yug, no matter what happens, my best friends always come first.”

            “I bet y’all dinna reli pray fer a Whisperer-dominant kid, did ya?” Joey grinned, earning a hearty chuckle and a few shakes of heads by his friends.

            “At this rate of my feelings for Yami, I’d prayed for anything but a Whisperer-dominant child,” Yugi replied, blushing as everyone grinned slyly at him.

            “Ah, so that’s your mate’s name, eh?” Tristan asked. “Well then, Yug, do tell us more.”

            Soon, the ‘mothers’-to-be were finally discussing freely about their Whisperer mates. They were impressed at each other’s description of their mates and laughed at the cheesy pet names given by them, especially Ryou and Joey, whom they teased ‘Princess’ and ‘Puppy’ in a mock way. They were surprised at Yugi’s boldness to suggest names for his unborn twins and applauded at the beauty of those names. They were even more surprised at Malik’s new-found fetish and found it hard to imagine Tristan, the all out roughin’ and toughin’ jock of the year, being so sappy over a Whisperer when all it had to do was give him the oldest love-sick words that can be found in a romance novel. All in all, they were finally able to talk about another thing they had in common without having to hide or pretend and put up a show being a façade of falsehood.

            “So, your mate hasn’t visited you too?” Ryou popped the question everyone else had in mind. Joey shook his head.

            “Eva since da middle of last month, he had stopped comin’. Imma kinda worried somethin’ might haf happened tuh him.”

            “My sentiments exactly,” Yugi agreed. “I can’t help having the feeling that there is more to it than them being busy.”

            “Do you think something may have gone wrong in their world that caused them to be unable to come here?” Tristan asked.

            “It’s possible,” Malik said, “but we won’t know what it is about by just sitting here speculating.”

            “But wat can we do?” Joey flung his arms around, feeling rather exasperated about their desperate situation. “We’re nothin’ but mere pregger humans! We ain’t got no magic powers dat can take us tuh see our mates, we ain’t got no lead and we sure as hell ain’t achievin’ anythin’ tryin’ tuh do somethin’ we can’t do! Wat do ya expect?”

            Everyone fell silent. They knew Joey was right. They were just mere mortals carrying children of their beloved mates and there was nothing they could do to change that, and as Joey said, they sure as hell are not in any way able to perform magic tricks or summon weird creatures or objects to do their bidding, or else they would’ve been side by side with their mates by now.

            Just when they thought they were done for, Yugi suddenly lit up and smiled, then cleared his throat to catch their attention.

            “We may not be able to do anything, but I know someone who can.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey and the gang went to search for the least likely group of people to ask for help to search for their mates
> 
> Note: Kokurano (Fortuno), Johnny Gayle (Charlie Gale), Bob McGuire (Bickford Gage) and ‘Unknown Name’ (Snipes Crosshair) will cameo here. Sorry for the weird choice of characters, but these are the best candidates I could muster up. Characteristics may be OOC, but this is AU, so anything goes.

            “No, no, no! Absolutely not!”

            Yugi and the gang were currently in the living room of the middle men’s living quarter—which was a huge mansion that can accommodate more than five people under one roof, complete with a huge swimming pool at the larger-than-life backyard; some of the most high-tech entertainment equipment like subwoofers connected to a huge hi-fi system, a wide-screen TV with state-of-the-art DVD player, gaming machines like Wii and PS3 and multi-user computer system; an impressive kitchen with automated functions; and about more than enough master bedrooms and guestrooms to house a huge slumber party—trying to convince his old best friend cum middle man of the human world Fortuno to take them to the Whisperers’ world to meet their mates, and so far, were not exactly getting the green light from him.

            Eager to know what Yugi had in store for them when he mentioned of a possible friend who could help, the gang followed his lead all the way to the outskirts of the island where Fortuno and his fellow colleagues lived, using Yugi’s auto driver car Tea had gotten them so that they didn’t need to drive and cause any complications to their pregnancy. When he was younger, Yugi and his grandfather Solomon used to make trips to the outskirts to send messages needed to be relayed to them for the middle men of the Ethereal Clan from Mai or Tea and after traveling back and forth for years until he started studying grade school, Yugi knew the journey by heart. He would still occasionally go to their place when his grandfather was either too tired or too busy to help send the message (accompanied by Tea and/or Miho, of course), so he and the middle men were like old friends. So, using the GPS navigation system and Yugi’s spoken address, they found themselves driving along the road all the way to the outskirts and into Fortuno’s front gate. Fortuno had welcomed him warmly and invited them in, but after hearing their purpose of visit, he soon knew he made a big mistake inviting them in.

            “I should’ve predicted this incident. No wonder I keep breaking the plates today,” Fortuno groaned, massaging his temple.

            “Please, Fortuno, we’re desperate here,” Yugi pleaded. “I’ve never asked you to do anything. Just allow me to indulge in this request, just this once!”

            “What you ask is too much of me,” Fortuno shook his head indignantly. “I will have to refuse.”

            Fortuno, along with his fellow friends Charlie Gale, Bickford Gage and Snipes Crosshair, were the trusted middle men of Domino Island to help the Human World to handle the affairs between the humans and the Ethereal Clan. Middle men of the Human World are chosen through their inborn special gifts, which usually occur in about once every other leap year birth, and Fortuno and his friends were, of course, definitely more than just ordinary men. Middle men candidates were more than just the messenger between humans and Outer Beings, but also the main law enforcer of the supernatural kind. They are often sent to boot camps to be trained as soon as their powers have been discovered (sometimes at a very young age), and in camp, they were trained to harness the power to their advantage so that if anything supernatural goes wrong in the human world, mostly by Bad Seeds, they could at least simmer down the situation before backup from the Ethereal Clan can come along. While older middle men and those who are married and have a family live among the people in town, younger and more juvenile middle men lived in the outskirts because it was closer to the border between Ethereal and humans, and because younger middle men are stronger and more able to travel the long distances on air and sea to reach the border, thus the reason why Yugi and the gang had to travel such long distances to meet them.

            Fortuno was a born psychic who, more than once, had made pretty good and accurate predictions for the human society as well as the Ethereal Clan, which compensated his lack of physical appearance. He was Yugi’s senior back in grade school and his powers were discovered when he made an accurate prediction about his librarian classmate getting involved in a ‘letter accident’—and was almost being hit by a ton of books the next day—during his second grade, and was soon taken by Tea and Miho to boot camp to be trained. Sometimes he would get together with some of the most powerful psychics from both worlds to predict any big forms of good or bad fortune, and had been quite reliable to date, so despite his short stature and nerdy look, he was quite the ladies’ and men’s man and had quite a number of devotees.

            Charlie Gale and Bickford Gage were Americans born and bred in Domino Island after their parents retired early from their high-profile government jobs to seek some place more relaxing and less tedious. Both pure men, they were childhood friends and lovers and were born with unique powers: Charlie possessing superhuman strength and Bickford possessing the gift of flight. Both of them were about 6 years old when their powers were discovered and had been keeping the peace rather well. Charlie, despite his average American stature, helped people out to carry heavy duty objects and aided the Rescue Ranger Squad helping trapped people get out of their confines whenever he is not out there busting Bad Seeds’ butts, while Bickford worked alongside him to pinpoint things from a bird’s eye view. Many rumoured that they were possibly descended from a family of Fallen Ethereals who were a crossbreed between humans and Bad Seed, but they were nowhere denying or confirming such rumours, so the public were better off being ignorant. They were rarely seen without the other, and they are almost always holding hands. In other words, these childhood friends and lovers were inseparable.

            Snipes Crosshair, on the other hand, was a mystery. Everyone knew he was a foreigner, but no one could figure out where he came from. He was born mute and never enjoyed communicating with the written word or sign languages, but he had something else to compensate for his lack of vocabulary: he was an Ethereal Clan Halfling and had the power of telepathy. The reason why he was called an Ethereal Clan Halfling was that he was not born from a union between a Whisperer and a human, but a union between a Shining and a human. Shining-s are a form of mysterious clan which comes and goes as they please, communicating through song and telepathy, and are glowing spiritual entities most of the time, and they usually appear whenever there is a death in a family so that they could sing their song and escort the soul to the afterlife in peace. They are like angels, but not quite like the angels you might imagine one to be, and their most distinctive features were their golden eyes and silver hair that shaped like wings around the area near the ears, and Snipes seemed to have inherited such features to be recognized as a Shining Halfling. No one knew how a Shining got together with his ‘mother’, but history spoke of his ‘mother’ mysteriously coming into the midwives’ home in labour pains, gave birth and died soon after. He was raised by the female midwife that delivered him before being sent to boot camp. He was given the name ‘Snipes’ and earned the surname ‘Crosshair’ from his foster mother, but somewhere along the line, he had learnt of his true name from an unknown source, and he didn’t seem like he was going to reveal it anytime soon. His job was to heal any forms of spiritual and emotional sickness with his telepathy and hypnotize Bad Seeds into submission, but most of the time, his job was as a messenger.

            “C’mon, guys!” Joey pleaded. “Isn’t there anything we can say tuh convince ya? We really wanna meet up wif our mates tuh confirm how they’re doin’! Dinna ya guys believe in true love?!”

            “We also believe in tradition and never messing with danger. To ask us to take you to the Sky City is to ask for trouble,” Charlie and Bickford replied simultaneously, their hands clasped together tightly as usual. Even though they were not twins, they spoke and acted like one, and it almost looked odd, if not annoying. Even their sweatshirts and baggy trousers looked exactly the same. No one really knows how they do it, but they manage to speak simultaneously without missing a word even though they are totally different individuals.

            “That’s an odd way of saying coming out of a pair of twin wannabes who snog each other like there’s nobody’s business,” Malik grumbled, earning a dark glare from both of them. Being the son of the older middle men living in town, he had access to all files of new middle men candidates, and knew enough about Charlie and Bickford through their reports and biodata-s.

            Snipes just listened quietly to everything that was debated between his fellow colleagues and the five without a single thought in his telepathic mind. He wasn’t much of a ‘talker’, more like just a passive listener and taking no sides.

            “It’s just gonna be a while,” Yugi begged. “We’re just gonna drop by, see them, maybe a brief chat or two, then leave. They won’t even know we’re there.”

            “People don’t just ‘drop by’ there for sentimental reasons, Yugi. You really need to have a special reason, not just going in out a whim of emotional purposes,” Fortuno retaliated. “There is a reason why humans cannot just go into the Ethereal World. It’s already a lot of hassle just to let us special people in. Why do you think we would only meet up at the border and not enter the Ethereal World unless under dire circumstances? Think of what it’ll do to your unborn children!”

            “What exactly is it that keeps us out? What are you not telling us, Fortuno?” Tristan asked, his eyes suspicious.

            “For starters, the atmosphere of the Ethereal World itself is complicated,” Charlie and Bickford replied. They both took a sip of coffee prepared by Snipes at the same time and continued, “Due to the War and the abundance of magic-use, the whole place is crawling with invisible Ethereal entities that are not dangerous to them but could be dangerous to us. Normal human beings who enter there almost always end up suffering severe hemorrhaging and even for us special people, without a special bangle created and given to us by Maximillion Pegasus, we would’ve been experiencing migraines now.”

            “Um…OK, that’s tough,” Joey gulped, rather impressed at the way Charlie and Bickford can speak such long sentences together without missing a beat.

            “Think of it as entering a factory where you are surrounded by intense heat and clouds of smoke,” Fortuno gave them an easier picture to imagine. “I can guarantee you your children wouldn’t even survive the ordeal, let alone yourselves. Besides, you’re lucky that we did not report you as well for fraternizing with the Whisperers, judging by your condition.”

            “What do you mean?” Ryou asked worriedly.

            “Oh, come off the innocent look, boys. We know about the attack on Diesel Kane and his gang. He and his band of misfits had been blabbering all day about being attacked by Malik’s half-brother or something,” Fortuno looked at Malik accusingly. “We had to investigate about it somehow so that we can go about doing rumour control, and judging by the amount of invisible Ethereal entities around Domino High, I’d say we had to honour the tradition and report to the Whisperer Clan about this.”

            “What?! You were the ones who told them about Marik coming here?!” Malik exclaimed, slamming his fists onto the table. “How could you?! He was only trying to stop them from raping me! No wonder our mates haven’t been seeing us! You’re the one behind all this!”

            “We were only doing our job,” Charlie and Bickford stated in a matter-of-fact way. “Whatever way the Whisperers wish to use to deal with them is entirely their decision. We are only the messengers.”

            “More like a bunch of fuckin’ tattletales!” Joey growled. “Now you have no choice but to take us there to compensate for our loss!”

            “And how are you guys gonna go about it, huh?” Fortuno folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t forget, you guys are in it as well for fraternizing with Whisperer. We were kind enough to overlook this matter because of your condition and let the Whisperers deal with their own problem. If it weren’t for us, you guys would’ve been in the Confinement Room living out your pregnant days in solitary confinement and be stripped of your title as the child’s ‘mother’ after the birth, even if they are born Human-dominant. You will never see your child ever again. Is that what you want?”

            “Why, you little…” Tristan was about to lunge forward to hit him when he was gripped by the collar and held up high in the midair by Charlie with one hand, while holding Bickford with the other, who in turn watched everything that went on in a nonchalant way. Snipes held the rest of the boys back with his piercing gaze, forbidding them to come any closer.

            “There are more ways than one to cause a miscarriage,” Charlie and Bickford stated. “Don’t make us do either one of them.”

            “Put him down, Charlie. There’s no need to be harsh. Remember, he’s carrying the future of the human race,” Fortuno gave Charlie a warning look, indicating that this was not the first time Charlie had used his superhuman strength out of whim. Charlie and Bickford nodded simultaneously and Charlie set Tristan down gently on a nearby sofa.

            “As I was saying,” Fortuno continued, “we did this out of concern for you. It has always been the tradition that Whisperers and humans are not to be emotionally attached to each other. They promised us the future of our human race, and we promise to allow them to repopulate their world as well as a token of our appreciation. We’re lucky they were not too demanding and only do it once for every teen herms that come of age. To break the deal and forsake the tradition is to go against the Law of both Ethereal and human. There is nothing we can do for you here. Go home.”

            The five were reluctant to leave without getting a sort of positive answer, but they knew better to push someone with powers like them into a decision they clearly do not want. They sighed and was about to leave when Ryou suddenly hit the brakes of his wheelchair when Tristan tried to wheel him out.

            “Is there really nothing you can do for us?” Ryou asked quietly.

            “R…Ryou?” Tristan was rather surprised at Ryou’s sudden action.

            “No,” Fortuno said in a hard tone.

            “Not even if we begged you?”

            “I’m sorry but I cannot allow myself to budge to your brash decision.”

            Slowly, without a word, Ryou supported himself on the armrests of the wheelchair and got up. He refused Tristan’s helping hand and got off the wheelchair, waddling slowly towards the four middle men. Without warning, he slowly knelt down and went on all fours, his head kissing the ground as he bowed at them.

            “Ryou! No, get up! You can’t kneel in this condition!” Yugi exclaimed and tried to help Ryou up, but Ryou wouldn’t budge from his stance.

            “My parents say to never lower yourself to anyone. It is a disgrace and shows that you have lack of dignity,” Ryou said quietly, his choked tone telling everyone that he was crying. “But dignity and disgrace be damned if I would never see the father of my triplets ever again. I survived this long not only because of my friends and family, but also because of my mate. He may not always be there for me, but when he did, I felt that I can handle this pregnancy, that I can go through the birth of three beautiful babies and I know that I can count on their father to raise them well if they are Whisperer-dominant.

            “If it weren’t for my mate, my babies wouldn’t have been in my belly, but probably six feet underground with the rest of the failed pregnancies. Because of my small built, there is no telling when I would lose them. I would’ve suffered depression, prenatal stress and all sorts of ailments that the previous ‘mothers’ had experienced without the reassurance of their mates, and would’ve lost them before it could even come to term. Everyone said I was a miracle, and I owe it all to my mate. To not see my mate ever again is to kill my unborn children, and I do not wish for it to happen.

            “So what is a worth of grace and dignity when all I need is the love of my mate? Please, I beg of you. Please take us to the Whisperer Clan. I wish to see my mate, just this once, and we will never bother you again.”

            “Save me your sap stories, I…” Before Fortuno could retaliate, suddenly the other four also went on all fours, doing the same thing Ryou was doing.

            “Please, we beg you. Please let us see our mates. Please!”

            Fortuno suddenly felt rather awkward all of a sudden being faced with five heavily pregnant boys going on all fours begging him to do almost the impossible. His colleagues looked at him quietly, as if waiting for his decision, but he could feel the slight accusing aura from their eyes, as if he was at fault for making pregnant people having to go to this extent to get his permission. Fortuno was torn and didn’t know what to do.

            After almost 10 seconds of awkward silence and no reaction from Fortuno, Snipes finally sighed quietly and walked to the kneeling five. He took Ryou’s chin and made him look at him eye to eye. The other four looked up slightly as well, wondering what the mute Shining Halfling would do to Ryou.

            “ _To allow a child to suffer a fatherless life is a sad fate,_ ” Snipes ‘spoke’ through his telepathy, allowing everyone in the room to hear him, “ _but to allow a child to suffer death before knowing life is a fate crueler than the Devil himself. Please rise. We will help you, but only just._ ”

            With that, Charlie and Bickford came forward as well to help the boys up to their feet and Charlie placing Ryou back to his wheelchair. Fortuno finally sighed as a sign of giving in and came up to Yugi.

            “Since my fellow colleagues have taken pity on your plight, I suggest you better make yourselves at home. I will make the necessary calls to your families and your assigned midwives to allow you to stay here for the night. Don’t worry, I won’t rat out on you. I will help you just this once. We will set off to the border at dawn tomorrow, coz it’s gonna be a long ride.”

            If the boys weren’t heavily pregnant, they would’ve glomped Fortuno by now.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang, along with Fortuno, Charlie, Bickford and Snipes, head onto their way to meet the person who will take them to the Ethereal World.
> 
> Note: Mahad and the Dark Magician will cameo in this chapter.

            “ _Rise, ‘mothers’._ _It’s time._ ”

            Joey groaned and tried to rub off the sleep from his eyes. He looked up and saw Snipes kneeling by the bed trying to shake him awake, but his broadcasting telepathy must’ve reached the others’ ears too for they were starting to stir as well.

            “W…Wat time issit?” Joey muttered as he stretched out his lazy bones, taking care not to stretch too much so as not to strain his back and belly.

            “ _It’s 5.30am, but if we are to catch a steady current today to lessen any possible seasickness you may have, we will have to go early. Please freshen up. Breakfast is ready in the dining hall._ ”

            Joey soon remembered why they were here in Fortuno’s home and remembered where they were supposed to go as soon as his mind cleared off the sleepy fog. He quickly grabbed a pillow and whacked everyone’s butt to wake them up.

            “Fuck, Jo!” Tristan growled, still trying to get some more shut-eye. “What the hell are you doing disrupting my beauty sleep?!”

            “Wakey wakey, hanky panky, people! We’re gonna go see our darlin’ today! Last one down fer breakfast is a fat ass!”

            Though reluctant and wanting to sleep some more, the rest of the gang woke up and made their way to the bathroom to freshen up. The extra toiletries prepared by Charlie and Bickford the night before were still there and they were grateful for the guest bathroom being as big as the one in the boys’ locker room, or else they would’ve had to wait forever for their turn.

            As they brushed and washed and did their toilet business, they began to remember what had happened last night before they went to bed. Fortuno, after agreeing to help the five to meet up with their mates, made all the necessary phone calls to their respective parents. It wasn’t easy trying to persuade them, what with them constantly asking questions about what they were doing at the outskirts of the island in the first place, but after much coaxing and reassuring (and a lot of white lies in between), Fortuno managed to convince their worried parents to let them stay at his place and promised them that they’ll back as soon as possible and also convince the midwives that they will be in good hands.

            When they got out of the bathroom all decently awake, they were greeted with Charlie and Bickford’s presence, hand in hand as usual, with a few clothes in their hands.

            “What are those?” Yugi asked as the lovers placed the clothes onto one of the beds.

            “Kimonos,” they replied briefly.

            “Ki…Kimonos?!” Malik exclaimed as he took up one of the kimonos and stared at it in horror. “We’re not girls! We should be wearing yukata-s, not girly kimonos!”

            “Unfortunately the Ethereal Clan has a very high sexual identity culture,” the two lovers replied in unison, “which means that females in Ethereal Clans are not allowed to wear anything masculine, not even if they are of the soldier hierarchy. Since you guys are preggers and all, and since the existence of hermaphrodites, you guys are gonna be treated just as they would treat a real female, so you’ll have to wear these. Hurry, breakfast is getting cold.”

            “But…” Before Joey could complain, Charlie and Bickford disappeared as quickly as they came. Joey groaned as he looked at the kimonos one by one and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

            “Ugh! Imma not gonna wanna be caught dead wearin’ dis crap!”

            “Yeah,” Tristan agreed as he grimaced at the sight of them. “Who do those love-sick suckers think they are, telling us to do things as if they own us or something?”

            “Come on, guys, don’t be that way,” Yugi persuaded as he removed his maternity pajamas. “They may talk like they own the world, but they’re actually very nice people.”

            “Nice people my ass,” Malik grumbled.

            “Besides, there’s no point complaining,” Ryou said as he made his choice. “They’re gonna help us go meet up with our mates. It’s best if we stay on their good side.”

            Grumbling under their breaths, the masculine of the five grudgingly picked one that looked decently less girlish and put it on. Yugi and Ryou wore theirs without complaints and looked as if they were born in them. Soon, they were all downstairs in the big dining hall having their breakfast with the middle men, who were sporting a dark green and white yukata, which was the uniform of all human middle men in Domino Island to wear.

            “I have to say, guys, you look rather smashing in your kimonos,” Fortuno complimented, and Yugi thanked them before Joey, Tristan or Malik tried to retaliate with a snide remark.

            Yugi was wearing a white kimono that had huge rose and tulip graphics embroidered and printed on both sides of it, and had a kimono belt of dark red to match. Ryou was wearing a light blue kimono with patterns of salmon fish swimming against a stream current designed on it and sporting a whitish pale-blue kimono belt. Malik, on the other hand, was wearing a dark blood-red kimono that had the patterns of green bamboo and its leaves covering most of the right side of it both front and back and had a pinkish-red kimono belt, while Joey wore a reddish-black kimono that had cherry blossom scattered decoratively in design throughout it, with a black kimono belt. Tristan wore the most standard of colours of a kimono, which is dark-blue with red, orange and yellow contrast designs of flower printed on most of his left side both front and back, with a kimono belt of blackish-blue to touch it up. If the other four were to grow their hair as long as Ryou, you could’ve sworn they look like real pregnant women.

            “Well, has everyone eaten their fill? We’ll have to hurry before the steady current changes. I don’t have enough sick bags for all of you, you know.”

            Finishing whatever was left in their plate, the five announced that they were good to go. After gathering the things they needed, the middle men led the five towards the jetty where the ferry will take them to the border. The small airport reserved for only middle men to travel was just a few blocks away from the jetty and it was built just in case the ferry is sent for maintenance and service or unavailable at the moment, or just for people who prefer to travel by air. The five assured the middle men and the sailor of the ferry that they were not seasick in any way before they were allowed on the huge ferry. It was going to be a long journey from the island to the border and the five were rather nervous and excited to find out whatever was on the end of the voyage.

            Later in the afternoon, as they settled for a lunch of bread and julienne, which was clear soup made out of thinly shredded vegetables (for the purpose of avoiding an upset stomach at sea), they began to ask questions about the border.

            “What’s it like at the border, Fortuno? Is it as exciting as everyone imagine it to be?” Yugi asked.

            “Not exactly, but then again, I’ve seen enough wonders of the world to be immune to it,” Fortuno replied. “But for you guys, I guess it’ll be rather fascinating.”

            In turns, Fortuno and Charlie and Bickford explained life in the border. Basically the border was a community in itself where all middle men of the Ethereal Clan lived throughout their immortal lives. They would be called by their respective rulers to receive messages and assignments to be carried out to the human middle men, but all in all, except middle men from the Night Clans who could only live normally in their own nocturnal environment, the rest would be born, live, get married, start a family and grow old in the border. They live in perfect harmony despite the different species of Outer Beings and have learnt to co-exist together peaceful since the dawn of time. Like humans, they have their own towns, their own living quarters, their own festivals and their own ceremonies and have lived life to the fullest with minimum disputes and disagreements. The border was almost the size of a medium-sized continent and could accommodate the growing number of population on it. There have been known cases of middle men from the human side marrying Ethereal middle men during the olden days, but since the War and the Plague that left the females either dead or barren, they do not practice mixed relationships anymore and preferred their own clan of hermaphrodites rather than fraternizing with the humans, even more so after Maximillion Pegasus struck the ancestral deal with the humans. So now the relationship between humans and Ethereal middle men are strictly business. No more, no less.

            “I’ve heard that the Whisperers’ world lies beyond Yami Forest,” Ryou noted. “It’s around Domino Island. Why go through all the trouble sailing to the border where we can just go through Yami Forest?”

            “The thing is Yami Forest is more or less a cursed place,” Fortuno replied. “No one knows why it is cursed, but some rumoured that it is possible back then, the Duelist Phantoms used it as their hideout and home during the War and had used massive dark energy to shield it from the eyes of those who wish to hunt them down. No human or Outer Being had ever made it out alive once you set foot into it. There is a portal somewhere within Yami Forest which serves as a shortcut, well, more like a detour, that is, to their World, but it requires powerful magic to break through the cursed defenses of the forest, and it is something only the Night Clan has knowledge of, and they are one of the most powerful clans to actually wield such impressive magic to go through it without harm. For us who has no higher power whatsoever have to go through it the old school way.”

            “All da more cool our mates are, aye?” Joey winked at his friends, impressed of the powers of his beloved Whisperers.

            “Agreed,” Tristan gave Joey a thumbs-up.

            “Not to be pessimistic,” Charlie and Bickford spoke, “but we may suspect untimely events prior to this meeting of yours.”

            “What do you mean?” Malik asked.

            “It’s just some stupid prediction I had this morning, really, and Charlie and Bickford happened to stumble upon my trance state,” Fortuno said as he gave an accusing glare to his colleagues. “No need to worry.”

            “You might as well tell us, since it’s already blabbed by love-sick snoggers over there,” Malik replied, getting two equally murderous looks from them.

            “Well, it’s just that I saw darkness and blood and crying,” Fortuno replied reluctantly. “Just that, nothing else. I couldn’t see anything further than that. It may be nothing. My predictions sometimes are not 100% definite, and I have to figure it out by myself what’s the message behind it, so don’t worry. It doesn’t necessary mean you guys, although I do worry for the person this prediction belonged to.”

            The five sighed in relief, but their concern still lingered despite the reassuring look Fortuno gave them.

            After all, from their initial decision about this whole voyage, who knows whether they can be trusted or not?

\--:--

            “Land ho, everyone. Get ready to dock off in a few minutes.”

            After a few more hours of sailing, the sailor called through the intercom to inform everyone that the border was a few more miles ahead. The five soon forgot about the disturbing prediction Fortuno made and got on deck to see how the border looked like and, sure enough, the scenic view from the ferry alone fascinated them to no end as they saw the majestic and surreal surroundings of the Ethereal Clan middle men and how different and incredible it looked compared to the Human World. As they landed their ferry at the border jetty, they went ahead of the middle men to ogle on the beautiful architecture and structure of the place. It was jammed packed with homes of all shapes and sizes and comes in a variety of decors and designs along with it. They even have shop houses, stores, official buildings and infrastructure of all sorts, but somehow, despite the difference in culture, they seem to mesh together harmoniously and complement each other as one. It was almost like they are different and yet similar at the same time. It was hard to describe and harder to imagine the five how their own human world can become just as wondrous as this.

            “Come along now, if you’re done going goo-goo eyed over this place,” Charlie and Bickford broke them out of their awed reverie. “We will have to go meet The Grand Middle Man.”

            “The Grand Middle Man?” Yugi asked as he followed after Fortuno and his colleagues, his gang following behind him.

            “He is the one who calls all the shots as to how the Ethereal middle men runs their place,” the two lovers replied. “It’s he who keeps the peace around here, and it’s he who decides whether we should go through the Ethereal World or not.”

            So saying, they took a ride on the border’s main mode of transport called a Beast, which looked like the Chimera of Ancient Greek mythology minus the goat’s head and had a pair of dove-like wings, serving as a tool to get to mountains where the Mountain Dwellers live (a branch of the elves bloodline residing in high altitudes). They rode all the way through thick forests and wide streams, over small hills and a vast field before finding themselves at the other side of the border in the middle of an outstretched desert where there were a number of mole hill-like mounds as tall as two grown men lined together into one big crescent shape. Everyone got off the Beast, paid the driver and moved towards the mounds.

            “Um…Not to impose but…” Tristan looked around curiously at the mounds, “what exactly are we doing here in the middle of nowhere?”

            “This is where The Grand Middle Men lives,” Charlie and Bickford replied. “This place used to be a sanctuary for survivors and freedom fighters of the War and now has become his personal quarters. He went into seclusion here after the love of his life died and refused to leave, so both us and the Ethereal middle men have to come here personally if there are any issues to talk about.”

            Without further ado, Snipes came up to the middle mound and, holding out his hand, pressed against the mound and closed his eyes, as if trying to communicate whatever was within it. Almost immediately, a man materialized in front of the mound, his arms folded across his chest and staring at Snipes in a dark way. He was lean and tall and beat even Joey and Tristan by two feet in height, with pale blue eyes and long bluish-silver hair. He wore dark purplish-black everywhere, from the tip of his pointed hat to the long flowing robes down to the ends of his leather boots, and held a huge staff on his right hand. Both Snipes and the mystery man stared at each other for quite some time, and the tense silence between them looked rather worrying for the five.

            “Whodat? Wat are dey doin’ starin’ at each other like dey owe each money or somethin’?” Joey whispered anxiously.

            “That is the Obsidian the Dark Magician, the only person whom The Grand Middle Man would allow to be close to him,” Fortuno explained as Snipes and the mystery man continued staring at each other. “He is the trusted bodyguard of the love of his life, and because he swore to protect his Mistress to the end, the Duelist Phantoms who hated females with a passion were angered by his loyalty towards her and pulled his tongue out all the way to the root, leaving him to die. After the War, The Grand Middle Man found him hanging upside down on a tree branch, close to death and his blood running dry. He barely survived and would’ve joined his Mistress in death if it weren’t for his help. He pledged his allegiance to him and been with him since.”

            “So, in other words, he’s just as mute as Snipes?” Ryou asked, resulting a nod from Charlie and Bickford.

            “They are now communicating telepathically amongst themselves,” the two replied. “One of Obsidian’s specialties is the ability to read minds and communicate through it. Almost like Snipes’ telepathy, but his is more towards a one-on-one conversation, not as projectile as Snipes’.”

            After a few more seconds of staring at each other, Obsidian turned to look at the rest of the middle men and the five, studying from his distance their features and their pregnant condition before turning back to Snipes and nod. Snipes jerked his head at them to come to him and soon, everyone found themselves being surrounded by a force-field created by Obsidian’s staff. They sank through the ground and went lower and deeper into the bowels of the earth until they finally reached in front of a dark, long tunnel. Obsidian materialized some sort of energy mass that worked like a flying carpet and made the five sit on it, so as not to strain themselves during the journey, while the others walked through the tunnel to get to The Grand Middle Man’s home. He led them left and right through the tunnel, going deeper and deeper, passing by many other tunnels that probably wound around in a huge intricate line of massive mazes. The five were not too intrigued whether those tunnels led to the rest of the mounds or not, for all they wish for is to find this Grand Middle Man and give them clearance to go to the Whisperer’s world.

            Finally, after almost an hour of walking, they finally saw a bright light ahead. Obsidian dematerialized the energy mass and used eye-contact to tell everyone to wait at the lobby while he went to fetch The Grand Middle Man. Malik asked if he could borrow the toilet and he pointed towards the far end of the lobby. While Malik went off to relieve himself, the rest waited patiently.

            “So, I’m curious,” Ryou said. “Who exactly is this Grand Middle Man anyways?”

            “His name is Mahad, and he’s a Slayer, the last of his kind,” Fortuno replied. “He used to be part of the Royal Forces of Maximillion Pegasus and his kind is like Spartan people, born to fight and would die fighting no matter what. Everyone of his clan was involved in the War, and all of them died valiantly. Only he survived. But when he came back from war only to discover the love of his life dead by the Plague, he broke down and was never the same since. He found Obsidian at his brink of death, took him in, retired from the Royal Forces and came here to become The Grand Middle Man. The rest is history.”

            “Who was the love of his life that affected him so much?” Yugi asked.

            “She was…” Charlie and Bickford were about to reply when footsteps were heard coming into the lobby. As they stood up to greet him, the five were quite astounded as they realized Mahad the Grand Middle Man truly lived up to his name. He was a tall bald fellow, about 7 feet, give or take, with skin as dark as fine dark chocolate and eyes that seem to bore into the very soul of a person. One glance at his body told them they have been through a lot of rigorous training and long years of battle. He was half naked, adorned with only a long flowing white cape and a pair of Arabian pants, exposing his well-toned glimmering six packs for everyone to see. He was obviously someone you should not even dare to think of trying to get in a fight with him; he’d probably cream you before the show even started.

            “I gather from Obsidian that you wish to see me,” Mahad said not as a question, but more of a statement. Fortuno nodded.

            “Your Excellency, they are…”

            “The human mates of the Whisperer Clan,” Mahad finished for him and walked towards the slightly trembling five. “What can I do for you, children?”

            “Um, forgive our brashness but,” Yugi started, “we’d really need your help and approval to go to the Whisperer’s home. You see…”

            He stared at each and every one of the five, making the atmosphere rather tense and awkward that Yugi didn’t know how to continue. Mahad smirked at Yugi and Ryou and said, “Hmm, a Yami and Bakura look-a-like. A descendant from Gozaburo and Shuu Nightwing, no doubt,” he then took Joey’s chin and turned him from side to side, surveying him, before continuing, “I can see why Seto is so infatuated by you. You do look rather…intriguing.”

            “Uh…Thanks?” Joey replied, not sure whether he meant it as a compliment or and insult and didn’t know how to respond.

            “You know his mate?” Tristan dared himself to ask.

            “Of course,” Mahad looked sideways at Tristan before taking Tristan’s chin as well. “In fact, I know all of your mates. We go way back, and I dare say they are rather foolish to be breaking the tradition to meet the likes of you.”

            “The…The likes of us?” Joey knew this was definitely an insult. “What does that suppose to mean?”

            “To succumb into emotions and get attached with a being not from their world is not the way of the Whisperer,” Mahad replied, his deep, rich voice sounding like it could pierce your heart by just an utter of a sound. “They will only love their kind, and cross marriages between humans and Outer Beings are, as you humans put it, ‘no longer in fashion’. You are, to them, just breeding cattle.”

            “That’s not true!” Yugi exclaimed. “Yami loves me! He even gave my babies names! No one who loved their children would give them names, let alone bother to visit them! Don’t you dare say anything like that about Yami!”

            “Unfortunately, it is the truth, whether you wish to believe it or not. His Majesty promised you the gift of conception, and in return, you are to bear the Whisperer’s offspring. You are nothing but a tool to repopulate them. This is nothing but a deal, a contract to us. Besides, if you were to ask me, you deserve this.”

            “What does that suppose to mean?” Even Ryou, who was always the peacemaker, was getting on his nerves hearing Mahad’s words.

            “Don’t think for a minute that I do not know what the _real_ cause of the War was!” Mahad said bitterly. “It was you humans who were ignorant and stubborn as to defy our warnings and trespass into the Shadow Realm. It was you humans who have such insatiable curiosity towards the Dark to a fault that led the Duelist Phantoms to break through our age-old defenses and escape from our well-built prison. It was you humans who brought this upon yourself! And this is your punishment for your sin you have caused on both the Outer Beings and yourselves. You have no one to blame but yourselves!”

            “Please, please,” Fortuno tried to break up the fight, only to be cut off by Joey’s yell at Mahad.

            “Dat’s insane! Ev’n if wat ya said is true, why must we be blamed fer somethin’ people in da past did? It’s not our fault ya couldn’t keep yer prisoners well enuff! We can’t pay fer watever things dat happened ‘fore we’re even born! We’re juz ‘ere tuh ask ya fer a lil’ help tuh go tuh see our mates! Is dat so much tuh ask?!”

            “Like I would help you bring in more trouble to our world by allowing…”

            “What’s all this racket? Has that Grand Middle Man guy showed up already or not?”

            Everyone stopped their bickering at the sound of Malik’s voice coming out of the toilet. Mahad spun round and almost gasped in shock at the sight of Malik. His eyes widen in horror and his serious bitter mask broke at upon seeing Malik in his kimono walking towards the gang staring at Mahad in curiosity.

            “Ma…Marik? Wh…What are you doing here?” Mahad said, his voice trembling, catching everyone by surprise at his sudden change in attitude.

            “Huh? What?” Malik was rather taken aback to be recognized as his mate. ”You that Grand Middle Man Fortuno’s been talking about?”

            “Marik, do you not recognize me?” Mahad was clearly not listening to Malik as he advanced towards him. “It is me, Mahad. I was promised to your sister Isis, remember? You and I used to be really close friends, and it was you who encouraged me to court Isis, remember?”

            “Look, pal. I never had a sister. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

            “But you’re wearing the choker I gave you for your birthday. Surely you would not deny that.”

            “Err…you didn’t give me this. My mate gave me this.”

            “Of course, you do not wish to acknowledge me. I wasn’t there for your sister after all. I wasn’t there to protect her, and she died because of me…I know you are angry of me because of that…I could only hope that you could forgive me and treat me like a brother again like we used to…”

            “Uuh…Fortuno? Is he outta his bonkers or something?” Malik asked as he tried to move away from Mahad who was standing there unmoving in front of him, looking rather remorsefully.

            “That’s Mahad,” Fortuno introduced Mahad to him, with Mahad still in his one little self-pity world. “And for your information, the love of his life that we’ve been raving about was Isis, Marik’s sister. She died from the Plague and Marik’s brother Odion died during the War, and this guy has been melancholic ever since. You spoke of Marik being your mate last night, right? Maybe it’s because you both look exactly alike, thus the mistake.”

            “Yeah, I guess,” Malik nodded, then turned to Mahad and snapped his fingers in front of his face, knocking him out of his illusions, “Look, Mahad or whoever you are, I am not Marik. I’m Malik. Marik is my mate, so whatever you wanna say to him, you say it to his face, not me. Besides, if I were Marik, I’d be sporting bat wings and wouldn’t be preggers right now.”

            “He is right, Your Excellency,” Charlie and Bickford replied. “This is Malik Ishtar, son of hermaphrodite Mayana Loki and magician Kansumi Ishtar, who are part of our middle men force. The Marik you speak of is his mate and father of his child. Please look carefully, Your Excellency.”

            Mahad stared long and hard at Malik, unable to drink in whatever Malik just said, but slowly, he began to notice the slight difference between the Marik he was raving about and the Malik standing before him. He slowly but steadily regained his composure as the truth sank in. Still, he ran his fingers along Malik’s cheek, as someone would to a dear brother, and murmured, “You look so much like him, and it is such coincidence that he should be your mate. I suppose you could be descended from that Egyptian young lad Hassan, could you not?”

            Malik nodded, seemingly taking over the entire discussion while the four and the human middle men watched, “To my knowledge, after the deal was made, Hassan, my Egyptian ancestor was one of the first to accept the gift of conception and gave birth to the first Halfling in my family.”

            “Then Irukh’mai’s seed had not gone to waste. Irukh’mai was at the age where he was supposed to leave to the White Horizon, but after the death of Isis and Odion, leaving behind his last of kin Marik, he wanted to do something for the human world before leaving to the White Horizon in hope that his legacy would be passed down his next generation. Tell me, child, is Marik the nice, kind and loving Whisperer as I’ve remembered him to be? It’s been centuries since I seen him after Isis’s death.”

            “He’s nice, kind and loving…well…in a sadistic sort of way. I dunno what his job is in Whisperer land, but he definitely has a lot of Dark Magic up his sleeves, and I’ve got the scars to prove it, not that I mind though.”

            “Just as I feared,” Mahad sighed. “I have heard rumours about him being even crueler in his executions since the death of his family. He probably had lost all his mercy since the War, but what I heard from Obsidian about his latest news was that he had been slightly less malevolent now. I can only imagine the changes you have given him.”

            “You give me too much credit, Your Excellency. So, are we good to go to the Whisperer world?”

            At this, Mahad hesitated, “I still cannot allow it, unfortunately. Even if I want to, I can’t. You see, your mates are now, as you humans call it, under ‘house arrest’.”

            “What?!” the five exclaimed. “Why?! How?!”

            Mahad then told him what he learnt from the Outer Beings middle men about the verdict and punishment made by Maximillion Pegasus about them sneaking out of their posts and shirking responsibilities, leaving the part out about the aftershocks of war their Ethereal World was currently facing. The five listened in horror at the part where they were given the curse of the Forbidden Blue and their leaving Sky City or going within the five’s proximity without direct orders from Seth or Katz was punishable in death. Ryou and Yugi broke into pools of tears at the thought of their mates being bitten by a huge white dragon with blue eyes and the pain they might have endured. Joey, Tristan and Malik looked like they want to murder someone with an axe or a chainsaw or something at the thought of Maximillion Pegasus issuing the order and Seth and Katz executing the order. All in all, their responses were more than just unhappy.

            “We gotta go there!” Joey insisted. “We gotta try n speak tuh dat head honcho n tell ‘im he’s makin’ a big mistake!”

            “Yeah!” Tristan agreed. “They shouldn’t be punished for loving us! It’s just not fair!”

            “Please, we have to go see them! We must! I can’t bear to think of them being confined like this!” Yugi grabbed Mahad by the cape, begging in pools of tears. Ryou didn’t say anything; he just continued to sob and sob and didn’t think he could stop.

            “Please, please do not be upset,” Mahad said as he tried to console the hysterical five. “Think of the children in you. It is not wise to be in such emotional state.”

            “Then will you help us?” Malik asked.

            Seeing that there is no other way to console the five otherwise, Mahad sighed, “Alright, I shall help you. But I have made a vow never to leave this place in my eternal mourning for Isis. In my stead, Obsidian shall take you to the Whisperer Clan. You will need these.”

            As if on cue, Obsidian came up to them with a huge goatskin. He unwrapped it and revealed the special bangle Fortuno spoke about. One by one, Obsidian quietly wore the bangle across the five’s foreheads and activated the pearl in the middle of the bangle to release some sort of protective layer around them.

            “This will protect you from the atmosphere of the Ethereal World. Now go, and Malik, please send my regards to Marik for me, and look after him well.”

            Malik nodded without a word. He wasn’t much into sentiments, but when he agreed to something, he would usually fulfill it.

            Again, Obsidian created the energy mass for the five and went back through the tunnel all the way up back in the mounds. Fortuno called for a Beast and they rode on it, but this time, instead of heading towards the jetty, they headed towards the other direction where there were more thick forests, wide streams and had to fly by a mountain to get to the other side of the border. After a few long hours of traveling, they soon reached to a place where stone monuments and ruins stood in the midst of a vast meadow of lavender flowers and greens.

            “This is where we separate, guys,” Fortuno said. “From here on, you’re on your own with Obsidian as your guide. Take care, guys, and do look after them well, Obsidian.”

            Obsidian nodded without a word and helped the five get off the Beast. The five thanked Fortuno and his colleagues and waved goodbye, watching them until they disappeared completely.

            “Well then,” Joey broke the silence after seeing Fortuno and his gang off. “Shall we get started?”

\--:--

            “Why did you lie to them?” Charlie and Bickford asked as they sailed back to Domino Island. “You know you saw more than that.”

            “ _Your predictions have never been wrong so far,_ ” Snipes agreed. “ _You do realize you are sending them to their graves._ ”

            Fortuno refused to reply, only watching the disappearing border with eyes flushed with worry and guilt.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang managed to arrive at The Ethereal Realm, but will their reunion with their mates be a happy one?
> 
> Note: If you wanna get a good picture of how the Sky City really looks like, try to imagine the Elves home where Galadriel lives in the Fellowship of the Ring mixed with the shimmering forest that Tidus and Yuna traveled often in the Final Fantasy X and X-2 game (I forgot the name of the forest). Yeah, that’s pretty much how Sky City looks like.

            “So, shall we get started?”

            As soon as Fortuno and the gang left, Joey wasted no time into getting into the task. Obsidian nodded and wordlessly led them to middle of the abandoned-looking stone monuments and ruins. He held out his staff, closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon a huge energy circle appeared in thin air, containing dozens and dozens of inscriptions and incantations looking foreign to the five. Using his staff, he scooped out some of the incantations from that energy circle and wound it around each of the five’s wrists and linking them together, like a police officer would to a group of bandit if he is making a big scale arrest. The interesting thing was that once the incantation got in contact with the five’s wrists, it hovered about a few millimeters off them, not exactly touching. The five looked in interest at the incantation link and watched as Obisidian continued doing his thing.

            With his staff, he raised the energy circle until it stood upright. It began to shine brighter and brighter until it was a huge explosion of light. The five had to close and cover their eyes with their hands from the blinding light and had to adjust their vision before they removed their hands. Replacing the energy circle was a huge door that looked like the ones you would see when you go into the royal throne room in all those children fairytales they used to read when they were kids, but the only difference was that it was made of lead instead of wood, and it was popping quite an amount of static. He went up to the door and gave it a little push. It opened with a loud groan and Obsidian jerked his head, gesturing the five to follow him, in which the five eagerly obliged.

            Once they went through the door one by one, it disappeared in thin air and they found themselves floating in the middle of an aurora-filled atmosphere. The five soon understood why Obisidian created the incantation chain line for them; at the rate they were floating around like being in an anti-gravity spaceship, if it weren’t for the chain line, they’d be bound to separate and get lost in the middle of nowhere. Kaleidoscopes of aurora colours weaved in and out of the tapestry of time and space and surrounded the five with a serene feeling. Obsidian took Yugi, who is in front of the chain line, and led them forward through the aurora current. They floated through the current, going left and right, up and down, above and under in it as Obsidian led them to their destination. Some of them were getting a little giddy with the motion but managed to hold it in. They didn’t want to worry their mates to death with their green sick look once they meet them.

            After about almost an hour of traveling, Obsidian stopped in front of a vortex and stuck his staff through. The vortex parted and the five finally had the first glimpse of the Sky City. All their homes can glow in the dark in a sort of dreamy look and it was like a city on trees. Trees of all shapes and sizes inhabited the place—from the tallest of oaks to the shortest of birch to the biggest of pine to the smallest of ferns. Every species of trees imaginable were there, and they were all supporting homes that looked both Egyptian, Arabic and Celtic meshed together as one culture, and, as Obsidian landed them on a random rest stop, they found out that the structure of their buildings were made of wood but were as smooth as ivory, and seemed to grow out of the branches like some sort of parasitic entity, but it did not seemed like it was harming the tree in anyway. The difference between trees in the human world and those in Sky City was that their leaves were not green, but luminous white and seemed to glow in the dark like the aurora vortex they were in. Even the branches they walked on were glassy-looking, sparkled and shimmered like the diamonds in a jewelry store.

            Obsidian waved the chain line away with his staff and gestured them to follow after him. As they walked down staircases and going across bridges, they passed by what seemed like a playground for young Whisperer pups. They were happily laughing about with their game of tag and hopscotch, and giggled as they played house. Ryou and Yugi couldn’t resist going up to the playground to get a closer look and marveled at the way the Whisperer pups looked in toddlers’ age, wondering whether this was how their children may look like if they were their age. The Whisperer pups, who have never seen nor smelt a human before, looked up and gazed in curiosity at Ryou and Yugi. One was bold enough to reach over and rub Yugi’s belly, and giggled when he felt a movement within. Soon, as the rest of the gang urged the two to come back, they were bombarded by excited squeals as dozens of little hands come up to want to feel their protruding bellies. Some climbed up onto Ryou’s wheelchair and played with the handles and wheels, being their first time seeing a human mechanism. They felt rather awkward at first, but their ‘motherly’ instinct soon kicked in and they quickly warmed up to the pups, much to Obsidian’s dismay.

            Their parents and babysitters, who were on benches at a distance relaxing while keeping a watchful eye on the pups, caught a whiff of human scent and looked up to see the five playing around with their pups. They were shocked and let out a loud hiss, urging the pups to come to them. The pups pouted at the killjoy and reluctantly went over to them. They growled and glared at the five and Obsidian, hugging their pups protectively. Obsidian raised a hand in surrender and, using his telepathic power, asked one of the parents where he can find the Head of the Clan. He pointed towards a huge palace-like building that was dominantly Egyptian in design and quickly left the playground along with other parents and babysitters and their pups.

            “Those children are so cute,” Ryou said dreamily. “I wonder if my triplets would look like them.”

            “However they look like, I’m sure they’ll be the most beautiful things in the world,” Tristan replied while pushing Ryou’s wheelchair.

            “I dinna reli care how dey look like,” Joey stated. “As long as dey ‘av ten fingers n ten toes, n a set of wings if possible, dat’s good enuff fer me.”

            “Joey’s right,” Yugi agreed. “As long as they’re in a clean bill of health, I don’t mind how they look like. But if possible, I want my child to be Human-dominant…”

            “We all do, Yug,” Malik replied. “We all do.”

            After walking (and taking breaks in between) for a few miles up and down stairs and across connecting bridges, they’ve finally reached the palace and into the royal gates. They were halted by bulky-looking guards, but after very long telepathic conversation between Obsidian and the guards, with a little mixed emotion, mostly tense, one of the guards escorted them into the palace and told them to wait at the room of the counseling of commons. The five were getting rather restless after waiting for more than 15 minutes.

            “What’s taking them so long?” Malik asked.

            “I dunno,” Joey grumbled. “If dey dun c’mere in da next 5 minutes, Imma gonna make one helluva noise.”

            “ _Forgive our lateness, ladies. We were in a middle of an important meeting._ ”

            The five turned to see Lord Seth and Lord Katz coming into the room. The first thing that took Joey’s breath away was the fact that he thought it was his Seto standing in front of him, only that instead of the usual garments he wore, he was sporting a royal spread, from the royal headgear to the tip of his silver sandals. Lord Katz, on the other hand, was holding onto Lord’s Seth’s arm lovingly, and Joey’s eyes flared with jealousy as he saw Lord Katz’s protruding belly behind its dark red velvet robe.

            “Seto,” Joey glared as he pointed at Lord Katz’s direction, “wat is da meaning of dis? Who’s he?”

            “ _Hmm?_ ” Lord Seth was taken aback by Joey’s sudden reaction, but the realization soon sunk in and he smirked, “ _Ah, you must the human counterpart my blood brother is so infatuated about. Our resemblance to each other definitely precedes my assumptions._ ”

            “Huh?” Joey, who was used to speaking in his accent, couldn’t really understand what Lord Seth was saying in that old English style.

            “He means that he and your Seto are twins,” Ryou, the ever studious one, explained. “You must’ve mistaken him for Seto.”

            “T-Twins?! I dinna know Seto had a twin brother!”

            “ _Did my blood brother not tell you? That is so like him to disregard important information. I wonder what my blood brother sees in you…_ ”

            “Sorry to burst your bubble here, milord,” Malik stepped up and said, “but we’re here to see our mates. We heard from sources that you have kept them in custody.”

            “ _Ah, you mean Brother Seto, Yami, Bakura, Duke Devlin and Marik? They’re…_ ” Lord Katz wanted to speak but was stopped by Lord Seth.

            “ _They’re in no position to see either of you. We have issued them what you humans call a ‘restraining order’._ ”

            “How could you do that to them? All they did was being a responsible father and mate looking out for us,” Yugi said. “They’re done nothing wrong!”

            “ _They have violated their sacred royal duties to be chasing after rainbows and pots of gold,_ ” Lord Seth replied. “ _They broke the tradition and left their posts to be with people that could never be. It was a necessary evil to keep them on their toes._ ”

            “All because they love us?!” Tristan exclaimed. “All because they love the children that they sired?! What kind of necessary evil is that when you separate a father from their child?!”

            “ _We Whisperers do not believe in emotions but to our own kind. You do not belong here with us or our hearts, and neither should they._ ”

            “But…But that’s not fair!” Ryou cried. “Lord or not, you have no right to tell us who we should love or not love! Love is of free will! We should be together! You can’t say otherwise!”

            “ _And what if I have allowed you to do as you please? What if I allowed you all to be united as one? You are a fleeting race that succumbs to the sands of time and dwindle in the brink of life and death. Your lives are as brittle as glass. Do you wish to die away and leave them in eternal sorrow and curse their immortality? Do you wish for them to enter into eternal despair and sought the inevitable? Besides, they have obligations to their own people and their roles here in our city is just as valuable. Do you wish to deny us that value?_ ”

            “Fer twins, ya definitely dun act like twins,” Joey growled. “Yer cold n without feelins, ya dun deserve tuh be Lord of dis place.”

            In a split second, Joey finds himself against the wall with Lord Seth’s hand around his throat, his ice-blue eyes glaring deeply and murderously at him and an intense rumble of anger escaping from his throat. Joey was almost at lost of breath as Lord Seth continued gripping him and pinning him against the wall, with Obsidian holding the rest of the gang back and Lord Katz looking at them with worry.

            “ _Beloved, please!_ _He’s with child!”_ Lord Katz exclaimed, but fell on deaf ears.

“ _My blood brother must’ve been blind to see a pig like you as his beloved,_ ” Lord Seth growled as he tightened his grip. “ _Has he not taught you to bite your tongue? It is not in a female’s place—especially human females—to question whether or not a Lord or King deserves the throne. It is for males to decide. You are no different than a common female, and I can snap your neck like a twig. Do not make me commit such atrocity.”_

“ _Brother!!! Release him!!!_ ”

            Lord Seth turned to see Seto glaring at him with murderous intent as he saw the horror he was doing to his mate. Seto was supposed to expect his twin’s arrival at the briefing of new recruits, but after waiting for quite a long time, he went off to look for him, only to find him about to strangle his mate to death. He was about to come up to him when the mark on his shoulder reacted, shining its bright blue that rode up to his veins on his neck. Soon he felt the wrath of the Forbidden Blue mark and collapsed to the floor as his air passageways were blocked and he was struggling to breathe.

            “S…Seto!” Joey exclaimed. “Bastard, what did ya do tuh him?!”

            “ _It’s the mark,_ ” Lord Katz said. “ _Whenever they are out of Sky City or within your proximity without our direct permission, it will shrink and block their airways and suffocate them. Unless I issue them a suppressant, they will die._ ”

            “Oh god no! Not like that!” Ryou cried, his hands covering his mouth in horror.

            “Seto! Please, stay away from me! You’ll get killed!” Joey shouted but Seto would not hear of it.

            “ _Won’t…let…him…hurt…you…_ ” Seto struggled to speak in Human Tongue as he came closer and closer towards his twin brother, his face almost going blue. He gripped on the offending hand that held his beloved’s neck and tried to pry it away from him. Lord Seth released Joey and Seto, despite being out of breath, hugged Joey protectively.

            “Please, please, Seto,” Joey immediately broke into tears, his heart ached at the sight of his mate suffering for him. “Please get outta dis room! Get away from me! Yer gonna kill yerself!”

            “ _Missed…you…_ ” Seto breathed as he held Joey even tighter, not wanting to let go.

            “Please, milord!” Yugi begged. “We’ll do anything you want, just stop Seto’s pain, please! Can’t you see he’s dying?”

            Lord Seth, seeing Joey crying while trying to struggle out of Seto’s embrace while Seto struggled to breathe and keeping Joey in his arms, refusing to let go—and also listening to the frantic begs of Joey’s fellow human friends—sighed and finally jerked his head at Lord Katz. He quickly came over, spoke loudly at Seto in their Whisperer language and took a tiny vial from his robe pocket. Whispering a Whisperer language chant, he put a drop of red liquid onto the mark. The bright blue light subsided and turned black, forming a sort of hard crust on his shoulder, and soon Seto was gasping for air as it filled up his deprived lungs.

            “Seto! Seto, ya bastard! Dun scare me like dat! Dun eva do dat again!” Joey cried as he wrapped his arms around Seto’s neck, sobbing like a baby. Seto, after regaining composure, purred and hushed his mate lovingly.

            “ _It seems that no matter what I do, everything goes out of plan,_ ” Lord Seth sighed. “ _Very well, I shall allow you to see your mate for two hours. But you must promise us never to return again, or I will not be inclined to be so compassionate the next time._ ”

            “Th…Thank you, milord,” Yugi and Ryou sighed in relief, and Tristan and Malik looked at each other with glee as they finally get to see their mates once more after so long.

            “ _Well, what are you waiting for, brother?_ ” Lord Seth growled at Seto. “ _Go with your brother-in-law to give your fellow brethren their suppressant and meet up here before I change my mind._ ”

            Seto didn’t need to be told twice.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finally reunites with their mates. How will they spend that limited time? Warning: graphic pregnant sex orgy ahead, sort of

            It was a joyous moment as the five were finally reunited with the Whisperer mates and vice versa. Seto wasted no time into informing his brethren, who were looking like the living dead ever since they were issued the Forbidden Blue mark and denied visitations to their beloved, that Joey and the gang were there waiting at the counseling of the commons’ room to see them. Katz gave his order out loud and issued the suppressants on each and every one of them before they were soon seen walking at top speed towards the room.

            “ _You have 2 hours,_ ” Seth said gravely to them in the Whisperer Tongue, his ice-cold eyes piercing through the five Whisperers, sending chills through their spine. “ _After that, they will have to leave and never return here ever again. They’ve given their word, so you better make sure they keep it._ ”

            “ _Yes, brother,_ ” Seto said, sporting an identical glare as he watched his twin, Katz and Obsidian leaving the room. As soon as they were out, Duke Devlin quickly locked it and was the first to glomp his little Soldier.

            “ _That was the biggest risk you’ve ever took in your entire life! He could’ve kill you with a glance for trespassing here! What were you thinking?_ ”

            “We had to come here,” Tristan said, hugging his beloved mate tightly. “After what we heard from that Mahad guy, how could we stay back and leave you alone?”

            “ _Mahad_ _…?_ ” Marik perked up from his hugging his Dark Chocolate, recognizing the name mentioned.

            “Yeah, he asked me to send his regards to you. I heard about him being engaged to your sister and stuff…” Before Malik could continue, Marik had clasped his mouth shut with a death glare in his blood-reddish purple eyes. Malik knew then that it was a big mistake mentioning about his sister.

            “ _Brother Marik, he didn’t mean any harm,_ ” Bakura said in Whisperer Tongue and pried Marik’s hand off his Dark Chocolate’s mouth.

            “I’m…I’m sorry, Master Marik…I didn’t mean to…” Malik almost stammered, waiting for whatever punishment his mate would incur his wrath on him. Somehow it didn’t come. Probably because he is surrounded by his fellow brethren giving him that warning look, or probably because of Malik’s heavily pregnant state, or probably because just for that moment, Marik truly missed Malik and was not in a mood for master-slave rituals, but Marik decided to hug and hush him in comfort instead of wanting to pin him to the wall and slap him senseless.

            “Aww, that is so cute~!” Ryou cooed as he watched the two lovebirds together in each other’s embrace.

            “How could they do this to you guys?” Yugi said, frowning at the mark on his beloved’s shoulder. “You were only loving us like anyone else would to their lover and their child. How could they let you suffer such an unfair death penalty and forbid you guys to see us as if they own you or something? It’s just not fair!”

            “Yeah,” Tristan agreed. “Duke, you’re the better talker around here. Why did they do this to you?”

            “ _I’m sorry, I can’t,_ ” Duke replied sadly. “ _It’s…personal…_ ”

            “How personal can it be dat ya can’t see us fer just a moment?!” Joey exclaimed. “Ya dinna break any rules! So what if ya guys moved outta ya post tuh see us? Is ya world more offa big deal than ours n our babies’ lives?”

            “ _It’s not that simple, young one. We have responsibilities. We have obligations. Just like you having the obligation to your human world by repopulating the human race, we have the obligation to look out for our people. The Ethereal Clan is not as easy living as you think, young one. Please understand our plight._ ”

            “What is it that you’re hiding?” Ryou asked, recognizing the tone that people gave whenever they have a secret. “Is it something so bad that you can’t tell us about?”

            “ _Hush…_ ” Bakura whispered, putting a finger on Ryou’s lips. He advanced closer to give him a kiss. It was a very soft one at first, then it got more and more passionate until they were literally making out in front of everyone.

            “What the…Guys! Get a room!” Malik exclaimed at the way they were snogging each other like it was nobody’s business.

            “ _I suppose since we have only two hours to spare, we’ll have to make the most of it,_ ” Duke chuckled and tickled Tristan’s sensitive spot around the back of his ear. When Tristan shouted in protest, Duke gave a seductive look and said, “ _No time to be shy now, Little Soldier. Come, let’s make sweet music together, like we always did._ ”

            “P-Pervert…” Tristan’s primal need betrayed his rationale as he felt his ‘womanhood’ and his nipples aching with want. Seeking whatever decent distance away from the others (since the room is quite big), Duke and Tristan began to lose themselves in the passion of love-making. The same applied to everyone as they, too, looked for a decent spot to make out, may it be under the table, behind the curtains, on the other side of the pillars or just plain in the middle of the room. Not many words were spared as time was of the essence and they wanted to get as much pleasure out of each other as possible.

            As the human five were heavy with child, the Whisperer five took care not to give either the ‘mother’ or the children too much strain. Bakura let Ryou remain on his wheelchair while he helped him undress from his beautiful satin kimono. Placing Ryou’s legs on his shoulder, Bakura made his way towards his opening and worked his talented tongue on his clit, licking and sucking and tongue-fucking his pussy till they were wet with Ryou’s juice and his own drool. Ryou whined and mewled in ecstasy. Oh! how he missed the feeling of his Whisperer mate on him. Bakura tried hard not to cum just by the voice of Ryou as he continued licking his Princess’s cup while prepared himself for the grand entrance. Seeing that Ryou was more than ready—what with his begging in tears to be entered—he slowly pushed himself in, careful not to do any harm on the triplets he was carrying. With his hands holding onto the wheelchair’s armrests for support and Ryou’s legs wrapped around his waist, he started a steady rhythm which sent Ryou into peals of cries and moans of pleasure.

            Yugi and Yami, on the other hand, were just as ecstatic as Ryou and Bakura. Yami, as soon as they were decently alone, immediately dove under the table and began assaulting Yugi with butterfly kisses, leaving lovebites everywhere on his tiny body while his skillful fingers worked on getting his little Light wet and ready enough to be penetrated. He thought Yugi was sexy as it is, but seeing a pregnant Yugi moaning and panting with his half-closed eyes as he adoringly enjoyed every kiss showered upon him was just simply erotic, and it sent Yami into the horniest mood he had ever had in his life. No imagination while he was self-pleasuring himself on those lonely hours in his room could ever compare with what he was looking at right now. It was all he could do not to just jump him there and then and ravish him hungrily. When he was done preparing himself and finally entered him, because he worried about hurting Destiny and Hope, he rammed into Yugi as moderately as possible, but when Yugi begged for him to go faster and harder, his reservations went straight out of the window and pounded Yugi until he was screaming with satisfaction.

            Tristan was much more desperate than his mate when they started getting it on. He was so desperate that he practically ripped off the loincloth Duke was wearing and attacked his manhood, licking and sucking and pumping it feverishly and hungrily like it was a piece of very delicious meat popsicle. Duke purred and panted breathlessly as he let his mate blow him, his hands gripping tightly at Tristan’s hair, struggling not to cum too soon. Finally, unable to handle the sweet torture any longer, he pulled Tristan off his dick and swiftly entered Tristan with one thrust, making Tristan yelp in pleasure. He didn’t need to prepare his Soldier because he was already very wet with lust (and the fact that Tristan diddle himself while blowing Duke), so he just went on and pin him against the pillar, carried and wrapped Tristan’s legs around his waist and began pounding into him fast and hard, satiating his two months’ worth of need.

            Marik and Malik, as soon as they got behind the curtains, got straight down to business. Marik told him in his limited Human Tongue vocabulary that his little Dark Chocolate had been a bad boy for risking both his and his baby’s life by coming here to the Sky City, and Malik begged at Marik to be punished. Instead of making him go on all fours or making him face down on his lap due to his pregnant situation, Marik made Malik sit down bridal-style on his lap with his legs held up high enough so that his buttocks were showing. Lifting the bottom of the kimono to expose his dark Egyptian skin and holding his legs up higher with one hand, Marik, with his superhuman strength, spanked Malik hard, alternating between cheeks and in the middle. Malik screamed in both pain and pleasure, asking his Master for another as the pain traveled all the way from his ass to the rest of his body, including his other nether regions, and by the time Marik had done spanking him, his ass was going crimson and his pussy as wet as a fountain. Marik punished him some more for making a mess by finger-fucking him but not allowing him to cum, and made Malik begged for mercy before cumming torrents. Entangling Malik’s wrists in the curtain, Marik made his grand entrance and fucked him like he had never fucked before, venting out all his pent-up lust he had been dying to satiate, and Malik was all too happy to oblige and succumb to his torture.

            Joey and Seto were a little bolder as they were the ones getting it on in the middle of the room. Seto took things slow, feeling him up and down and licked and kissed his Puppy everywhere, from the tip of his honey-brown hair to the tip of his honey-tan toes. He suckled at Joey’s breasts, teasing the nipple with his tongue, pecked at Joey’s soft cheeks, took a whiff of Joey’s honey milk-scented hair and kneaded his finger on his perfectly round ass and stroke his protruding belly, all the while enjoying the feel of his Puppy that he had been denied for so long. Joey whined, asking his mate if he could blow him, in which Seto gave him a seductive smirk and obliged to his request. Sitting on his legs the Japanese way, he came close to his beloved and started blowing him, sucking and licking in intervals while pumping the rest that his mouth couldn’t engulf. The feeling of his human mate’s wet mouth and tongue around his manhood made him even bigger and harder, and was throbbing for release, but as he always did to pleasure his mate to the max first, he held back and thought about something else irrelevant in particular. After a while, he decided he had enough playing games and quickly pulled out of Joey’s mouth, earning a disappointed whine from Joey, and made his Puppy straddle him with his back facing him, his manhood entering Joey as if it was a sacred holy orifice that should be intruded with care.

            As the sex orgy (sort of) continued, moans, groans, whines, screams, growls, purrs and all sorts of other noises of love-making were made throughout the room without even wondering whether anyone was able to hear or not. If it weren’t for the way the wall and door were built, Obsidian, who was standing diligently outside guarding the door while looking at the time, would have heard more than just muffled voices. But then again, those muffled voices were sending the ever serious and no-nonsense Dark Magician into silent fits of blushes and he was actually feeling a little bit hard just hearing them. In the end he had to cast a deafening spell on his ears so that he could block out the erotic sounds.

            “Oh, yes, yes, yes, Bakura…!” Ryou whined, breathless and filled to the brim with the endless ecstasy. “Yes, god, yes…! I missed you so much!”

            “ _Love you…Princess…_ ” Bakura panted as he rammed a little deeper in Ryou, feeling himself getting close.

            “Oh yeah, Duke, do me harder…! Deeper…!” Tristan moaned, clawing at Duke’s back.

            “ _Oh yes…! I know you love it…rough…my little Soldier…!_ ” Duke growled as he complied with Tristan’s wishes.

            “Oh, god…! Yami…!! I’m going to cum again…!” Yugi cried, his throat going sore after crying out in orgasm for goodness knows how many times, and loving every minute of it.

            “ _Going…close…_ ” Yami replied, feeling his pit of the stomach tightening into an impossible pressure.

            “Oh, Master, please! Punish me…punish me more…! I’m your slave…!” Malik groaned, his womanhood being pounded again and again with the force of a freight train as his hardened nubs ached badly by his Master’s pinch.

            “ _Good…slave…_ ” Marik grinned, pounding feverishly into him and spanking, biting and pinching him at the same time.

            “Dragon…! Seto…my Dragon…! I love you…SETO…!!!” Joey screamed, crying and drooling and pretty much was making a mess of himself.

            “ _Love…you…too…_ ” Seto whispered, holding back his orgasm as long as possible, but was sure he was going to explode any minute.

            A loud and long scream of orgasmic completion soon echoed throughout the room as they all reached the pinnacle of heaven and back again.

\--:--

            The five pairs of lovers hugged each other tightly, not willing to let go, as they all gathered at the vortex that led them into Sky City. Like clockwork, as soon as their two hour visitation is up, Lord Seth and Lord Katz showed up and told Obsidian to knock the door, signaling that it was time to go. Hearing the knock of the door, the Whisperers used their magic to wipe out any evidence of their love-making while the humans hurriedly got dressed. By the time they opened the door, no one was the wiser as to what was going on, except Obsidian who was giving the lovers a knowing look, in which Joey and the gang grinned sheepishly.

            To make sure that there’s no foul play, Lord Seth and Lord Katz, along with a few bodyguards, personally followed them and Obsidian to the vortex to see them off. Once they reached there, Joey was the first person to run to Seto and hugged him tight, crying buckets of tears as he realized that they had made the promise to Lord Seth and that this was the last time they would ever see each other again before the delivery day. The rest soon followed, hugging their Whisperer spouses and sobbing while their Whisperer counterparts stroked and hushed them, telling them it was alright.

            “ _We had a deal, ladies,_ ” Lord Seth reminded them. “ _You’ve had your two hours. Now please leave._ ”

            “ _Beloved, please,_ ” Lord Katz whispered. “ _Allow them these few moments of separation. They deserve this._ ”

            Lord Seth sighed and waited a little impatiently for them to finish saying their farewells. Before he could remind them again that they have outstayed their welcome, Obsidian made the first move. He held out his staff and separated the lovers and immediately materialized the chain link on their wrists. Before they knew it, they soon found themselves screaming and crying and kicking as Obsidian levitated the five up into the vortex while Lord Seth and Lord Katz held the five protesting Whisperers back, disappearing into the closing vortex.

            “Why did you do that?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” Malik screamed as he hit out at Obsidian, though his hits were not even making the Dark Magician flinch.

            “We just wanna say goodbye! Is dat so much tuh ask from ya?!” Joey yelled tearfully.

            “How could you do this to us?! How could you?!” Tristan was next to lash out at the nonchalant Dark Magician. The rest just huddled together and cried bitterly, knowing that no matter how much they protested, there was no moving the mute Dark Magician from changing his mind.

            After letting the stronger of the five hit out at him (but without much effect), he was about to reach over to take one of their hands to guide them back to the border when he was suddenly hit with a huge greenish blast, knocking him out cold. He passed out and floated away from the five, and when Yugi tried to reach over to grab him, a few pairs of hands pulled him and the gang back, holding them in a tight grip. The five spun round and didn’t take a while to recognize their assailants.

            “Y…You!” Ryou exclaimed.

            A lady figure appeared from behind their assailants, smiling evilly with her eyes glowing blood-red. The five gasped as they saw who she was.

            “Hello, boys. We’ve been waiting for a long, long time in here. Care to join our little party?”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang had been taken by a mysterious kidnapper and their mates sought to find them, by whatever means necessary
> 
> Note: For those who are wondering why the teens were referred to as ‘females’, it's because of their hermaphroditic nature and their assumptions that they are pretty much as equal as a real female

            “Ugh…Where am I…?”

            Joey stirred, massaged his temples and tried to sit up. The first thing he heard was a couple of sobs and whimpering here and there in the dim lighting and about more than a dozen silhouettes in a rather cramped room. While he still tried to shake the dizziness off his head, he was approached by someone he knew too familiar of even though he couldn’t really see his face.

            “Dude, where the fuck are we?”

            “I dunno, Trist,” Joey replied. “I dun ev’n remember how we got ‘ere.”

            “Ah, rise and shine, my fellow friends.”

            Everyone gasped and whined and cried as they heard footsteps and the sound of the key clicking. The strangers came into the room in groups and the lights automatically glowed slightly brighter. Joey and the five, who were also stirring, realized that they were in a room that looked like dungeons in a castle and that the owners of the crying, sobbing and cursing belonged to the rest of their fellow hermaphrodites from Gammon and Maximillion High, along with a few more others who looked foreign, possibly from other countries. They were all stripped of whatever clothes they were wearing and were only adorned with some sort of dirty bed sheet serving as a sorry excuse for a garment. Everyone was chained to the floor through a clasp on one of their ankles and they were surrounded left, right and center with brick walls with only a prison cell door as their only means to get in or out.

            Speaking of cell door, they were even more astonished to see that the person who spoke and held the key was no other than their Domino High school nurse Illuscia Nester Himawari a.k.a. Illust-chan! She was sporting clothes of a female warrior, a huge pair of raven-black wings, ears pointed like an elf, wild brownish-black hair and skin as white as ivory, and when she smiled, her fangs stood out like a vampire.

            “I…Illust-chan?!” the five exclaimed. “What the…? What the hell is going on in here?!”

            “What does it look like it is?” Illust-chan asked. “You are all my prisoners, and soon will be the sacrifice for our great lord Zorc Necrophades.”

            “Zorc?!” Ryou exclaimed, recalling the name he had read so many times in history books and ancient scrolls. “But…But he was the Lord of all Duelist Phantoms! He’s supposed to be gone! Maximillion Pegasus and Gozaburo had already defeated him! He is supposed to be in the Abyss by now!”

            “He _is_ in the Abyss,” Illust-chan confirmed Ryou’s story. “At least his body is. His soul is pretty much still around these parts, and if we hadn’t found him, he would’ve been a wandering spirit, never knowing his identity and his purpose in this world ever! It wasn’t easy gathering you all here, what with us being in hiding and all that, but at least we had a little help.”

            So saying, a huge group of people began to emerge behind her, obviously human, showing their faces under the light. Judging by the way their fellow teen herms gasped, the revealing people seemed to be one way or another associated to them, and the five definitely recognized a few among the group.

            “D…Diesel Kane…!” Malik almost stuttered.

            “Feng Long!” Joey exclaimed.

            “Demy…?” Yugi breathed, unable to believe his eyes.

            “Be…Beluga?!” Ryou and Tristan cried simultaneously.

            “I see you recognized them,” Illust-chan said, grinning from ear to ear and stroking the said boys’ chins affectionately, as would a master to a pet kitten. “Humans are just so easy to manipulate, aren’t they? I just needed to light a match onto Diesel’s oil of anger, relive the grudge of losing an arcade battle on Feng Long, ignite the flame of passion and jealousy in Demetrius’ heart and cloud Beluga’s mind with his hidden hatred for Ryou’s success in studies and Tristan’s fame in sports and they were all too willing to sell their souls to the devil to see your demise. Same case goes to all the other humans who have harboured secret inner feelings for the rest of you. Guess it’s true when they say it’s not good to bottle up your feelings, eh, boys?”

            “Who…What are you?” Tristan demanded, earning a glare from Illust-chan.

            “What am I? _What am I?_ Who do you think I am, some sort of object you pathetic humans can assume me as a ‘what’?” Illust-chan shrieked at first, but regained composure and continued, “I am a Fallen Ethereal, one of the many descendants of those who had gave their heart and soul to love a Bad Seed. Bad Seeds, humph! That’s the title you have given those who were not afraid to go overboard and try to venture into the world of the unknown and break free from the traditions of old lives and of those so-called pure Ethereal Clans of the Outer Beings. I dare say, I’m proud to be related to a Bad Seed.

            “While you humans go around fluttering the world in carefree attitudes, we had to take care not to reveal ourselves and had to succumb to impersonating human roles and human lives in order not to receive the prejudice and hatred you harbour discriminately against our people and be sent as an outcast in the Abyss or be eliminated so easily as ridding a rodent! Do you realize how much pain and suffering you and your people and your pretty little Outer Being friends have caused us just by denying us the chance to live normally in this world?! We and our Bad Seed comrades had no place to go but to lurk behind the shadows being ashamed of our heritage and living in constant fear that one day our pups would be denied a chance to live.

            “If it weren’t for the recent territorial and population dispute in the Ethereal World, we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the situation and start up a rebellion. And if it weren’t for the help of our great Zorc Necrophades, whose spirit stayed strong even without his body, we wouldn’t have achieved such greatness in such a short time. I gotta hand it to you humans, you did great work releasing the Duelist Phantoms from the Shadow Realm, whether you intended it or not, for we wouldn’t have reached where we are today.”

            “That’s impossible!” Yugi exclaimed. “There have not been any wars or disputes or any other type of disturbances in the Ethereal Clan! We’ve been living peacefully for so many centuries without much of a major disaster going on! How can there be any disputes going on?”

            “Oh, haven’t your precious little Whisperer darlings told you? We are experiencing what you would call a war aftershock. Due to the dwindling of females, there has been a population imbalance. Not an amount of Ethereal hermaphrodites and herm Halflings are enough to cover the area and there have been a huge argument between the Ethereal people about the overpopulation of certain species in the area, and that isn’t working good,” Illust-chan replied longwindedly, then gave a mock gasp and said sarcastically, “Oh my god! So that’s why your precious little Whisperer sweethearts were bound by the centuries-old tradition! Aww, ain’t that just the sweetest thing?”

            “If you’re a Fallen Ethereal, then you should be dead by the Plague!” Tristan exclaimed. “There are no such things as female Ethereals anymore! You shouldn’t exist!”

            “Sorry to burst your bubble, Golden Boy but in fact we have quite a lot of Ethereal females around here,” Illust-chan pouted, pretending to be offended as she dismissed the dazed-looking boys away. They were obviously under a spell judging by the way their blank eyes looked, but it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. “In fact, thanks to our mixed human blood, we were only cursed to be barren instead of dead. Why do you think we’re called Fallen Ethereals?”

            “Ya said we’re gonna be sacrifices fer yer Lord,” Joey said as he tried to calm down a few scared shitless teen herms. “Wat exactly ya mean by dat?”

            “Isn’t it obvious? You are going to remain prisoner here until you all give birth,” Illust-chan said. “Then after that we are going to line you all up in front of Lord Zorc and feed both your body and soul to him so that he can achieve full memory and physical form. He was in a rather bad shape when we found him staggering and floating around aimlessly in Yami Forest, mindlessly killing people who dared to trespass it without even knowing why he did it, and he was filled with so much remorse and guilt over the blood he spilt that he wasn’t the grand ruler he was anymore. We sorted that out by taking him into our hideout here and nurse him back to health.

            “His memories are bits and pieces here and there, and we’re helping him to regain them one by one, but to attain complete 100 percent memory plus physical form requires more than that, and devouring ‘mothers’ and newborn babies seemed to do the trick. Oh, don’t you worry your socks off, at least they’re not your fellow teen herms we’ve captured. Just a couple of older ‘mothers’ who have gone through the ritual before and currently pregnant with normal children, is all. No one would miss them…much.”

            “You bitch!” Malik shouted at her, wanting to get her but was held back by the chain on his ankle. “So you’re behind my neighbour’s pregnant ‘wife’s sudden disappearance!”

            “Oh, come on,” Illust-chan scolded. “He was the ‘bitch’, philandering around like he owned every pure man in the world. The baby in him doesn’t even belong to his husband! Give me a little credit for disposing a worthless ‘whore’ like him!”

            “You have no right to decide who lives or dies!” Ryou shouted.

            “Yeah! You’re not the judge, jury or executioner around here to be deciding whether someone should live with their sins or die with their regrets…”

            “Oh, fuck off, Malik,” Illust-chan spat, slapping the Egyptian hard on the face with her superhuman strength. “Put a sock in it. You spawns of middle men are the worst with your so-called righteousness and stupid views of justice. I hate, no, despise you the most with a passion.”

            While the gang tended to Malik and his swollen cheek, Illust-chan began to morph and change, chuckling as she went. Gone were her wings and back was her skin in human skin tone, and within minutes, everything Ethereal was dematerialized and she was the hazel-brown-haired, blood red-eyed school nurse cum head midwife everyone in Domino was familiar of.

            “Well then, I’m going to be off to panic along with the other humans and your parents about your disappearance,” Illust-chan spoke in her usual perky way when she was in human form. “I’ll make sure the sudden disappearance of these lovely pure men like Demy and Diesel Kane is suspicious enough for people to point fingers to. Dinner will be in shortly. Don’t wait up. Ta-ta!”

            With that, she left and the light automatically went back to its dim state, leaving a stream of wails and angry protests behind closed doors.

\--:--

            “We have traitors in our midst.”

            All the middle men young and old, humans and Ethereal, gathered in Mahad’s meeting room along with Maximillion Pegasus and Lords of every clan, from elves and fairies and Mountain Dwellers to members of the Night Clans, discussing about the recent disappearance of the teen herms of the world. Their disappearance along with pure men associated with them seemed to raise questions, but after deep, long discussions, and after the attack on Obsidian and the five in the border vortex, they felt that there were possible moles at work behind this. Duke Devlin and his colleagues, speaking for the middle men of the Whisperers, were not excluded in this discussion, as was Marik, who is Maximillion Pegasus’ Royal Executioner and ready to do damages on anyone that crosses the boundaries of the Ethereal Clan.

            “Traitors, Your Majesty?” a human middle man from France asked.

            “That’s right,” Maximillion Pegasus replied. “We have made a few arrests beforehand and are down to the last one. Mahad, I believe this is your field, so to speak.” The advantage of being the Ruler of the Outer Beings was that he had the power to create a Multi-Tongue atmosphere. All he needed to do was cast a spell over the room and whatever he spoke in his language would be quickly translated and reach the ears of different nationalities as their own language, i.e. his language would be heard as French for a Frenchman and German spoken by a Germany rep would be heard as Chinese for a Chinaman.

            “Yes, Your Majesty,” Mahad continued what Maximillion Pegasus wished to relay, “As we all assume, they must have been promised riches, fame and glory by the Bad Seeds and were clouded with false hopes of amazing titles and wealth beyond their wildest dreams, accompanied with the fact that they had personal grudges over those who had possibly wronged them. After what had happened at the border vortex where my personal assistant Obsidian has escorted the ‘mothers’ of Domino Island to do an urgent visitation to their Whisperer mates, so to speak, and after I have issued men to do a search and rescue on him, I have issued an order for both Obsidian, as soon as he recovered, and our fellow Ethereal middle men to do an extensive investigation and capture those who are involved in this treachery. We have gathered them all in the next room and Obsidian is catching the last one as we speak. He will be bringing them in soon.”

            After 5 minutes of tense silence, Obsidian knocked on the door and came in with a group of tied-up protesting and struggling people using his staff as a restraint on them. Everyone gasped as they were no other than their own fellow Ethereal middle men colleagues, including the one who had been a rather good fellow Halfling friend to Duke Devlin and had been working side-by-side as a Whisperer comrade Damien Draco.

            “Brother Damien!” Duke exclaimed in disbelief. “It can’t be you! There must be some mistake!”

            “Oh, can it, Devlin!” Damien growled, not bothering to fight for his own defense. “Your righteousness is useless here! I don’t plan to get away from it anyway!”

            “How…How could you? Brother Damien, this is not like you…”

            “Do not call me ‘brother’, you filthy Halfling!” Damien spat at him. “It’s because of you Whisperers that my human ‘mother’ died because of birth complications when he gave birth to me! I despise the fact that I’m a Halfling like you and I am only too willing to help the Bad Seeds out!”

            “You know the Bad Seeds are evil! You know better than to collaborate with them and betray our clan!”

            “Better than serving those who have killed my ‘mother’! When they approached me with the proposal of bringing about your clan’s downfall I was only too happy to oblige. I spiked your human mates’ scent mark with a little bit of their menstrual blood and their sweat when they go into human heat so that you would be overly infatuated with your mates and neglect your posts to be with them so that they can spread their influences into Sky City little by little. Once you all were issued the Forbidden Blue mark, it was a matter of time before they went for your pathetic pregnant mates, and your own people are falling into their trap as we speak. There’s nothing you can do to save them or your world now!”

            “Tell me!” Duke grabbed Damien’s collar and shook him. “Tell me where my Soldier is!”

            “Over my dead body!” Damien grinned, head-butted Duke and lunged at Maximillion Pegasus, which forced Obsidian to blast him with his staff, killing him instantly. It took a while for everyone to settle from this commotion and for Maximillion Pegasus to regain composure, but they soon calmed down as Obsidian took the prisoners away, locked them up in the other room and rejoined the meeting.

            “Well, now that we’ve more or less know their motives,” Maximillion Pegasus continued, “we will have to find out the whereabouts of the human females and hurry up to bring them back to their respective families. The priority of the ‘mothers’ are much more important right now as this concerns both the future of human and Whisperer race. We shall have to excise…extreme measures to extract information from those traitors about the ‘mother’s whereabouts.”

            “I would like to suggest,” a human middle man from Turkey spoke, “that protection is to be issued to the ‘mother’s respective families. There is no telling whether those Bad Seeds might target their families as I have heard some of the rare families that has given birth to two herms in one household.”

            “I second the motion,” a human middle man from Thailand agreed, “They might even try to aim for those young herms regardless if they have come of age or not. Better safe than sorry.”

            “For those who agree to this motion please raise your hands,” Mahad said, resulting into a unanimous vote.

            “Since we’ve agreed to that subject, I shall issue an order to send in representatives from my clan to each ‘mother’s families,” Lord Seth replied. “Remind me to bring this up in the political meeting, Lord Katz.”

            “Yes, milord,” Lord Katz nodded, mentally reminding himself of the task.

            “Milord, if I may be so bold as to offer myself as one of the reps,” Duke raised his hand to speak. “It’s the least I can do for making up for my colleague’s indecent betrayal to the clan.”

            “No, Brother Duke,” Lord Seth refused gravely. “You are still under punishment due to you choosing your human mate over your sacred post, as are your fellow brethren. I will not allow you to participate in this charade. For all we know, as spoken by your ex-colleague Brother Damien, your infatuation towards your human counterpart may be no other than a trick of the mind and emotion due to their tampering with the scent mark.”

            “My feelings continue to remain the same! Even if they haven’t tampered the scent mark, I would still be…”

            “The order is done. Do you wish to disobey it and join them?”

            Duke hesitated for a moment, wanting to argue his point some more, but decided against it and sighed, sitting down and saying, “No, milord. Forgive me, milord.”

            “Very well then,” Maximillion Pegasus nodded and looked sideways at Marik, “while we discuss about other urgent matters regarding the aftershocks, Marik, you know what to do.”

            Marik nodded and excused himself from the meeting. Before he left for the door, Duke grabbed Marik by the wrist and whispered, “Make them talk, brother, no matter what it takes.”

            “Do not worry, brother,” Marik replied as his face was showered with murderous intent, his malice and sadistic aura began to permeate the room, “I am going to make them squeal like a pig so bad they’d wish they never even exist.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang remained as the Fallen Ethereal's prisoners while their mates continue their interrogation to find their whereabouts. Warning: graphic birth as well as graphic violence at the near end of the chapter

            Yugi was awakened by a small whimpering sound of pain. He stirred, trying to locate where the sound come from, but due to the dim lighting and the sleep still lingering in his eyes, he couldn’t make out much.

            It had been almost two weeks since they were held captive by Illust-chan and her band of Bad Seeds and Fallen Ethereals. They were, through regular inspections by those in charge to guard them, surprised at how long these Fallen Ethereals and Bad Seeds have been living in seclusion and undercover, and was rather taken aback just to how many female Ethereals that still exist in the clan, even if they were Halflings. They were fairly fed everyday with corn soup and bread, but weren’t exactly given the luxury of cleaning themselves. A bucket shared among each other served as a sorry excuse for a toilet and by the end of the week, they were told to line up outside their cell to be hosed down by cold water from a garden hose and left alone in the cell to dry off by themselves without a courtesy of a towel before being thrown back their dirty bed sheet shirt to wear.

            Joey and the gang have learnt that aside from their fellow teen herms from Gammon and Maximillion High they’ve met during the ritual day, the rest of the teen herms were from all over the world. Ryou, being the genius of the gang and having learnt most of the world’s languages during his spare time in the school and public library, was able to communicate slightly with them and found out that they come from mostly Europe countries like France, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Sweden, just to name a few, and a few more from Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. All of them agreed that they ended up here after being lured or kidnapped by a best friend, enemy or ex-lover, and since they have not seen them from the day they found themselves in this cell, they would rather not know what the Fallen Ethereals and Bad Seeds do to dispose of their services now that they have served their purpose.

            There had been times when Joey and a few of the stronger and more masculine of the herms tried to conspire to look for a way out, but no matter how they tried, they just couldn’t think of something, and their surroundings weren’t much of a help to aiding their quest either. It was as if there was some force of strong Ethereal magic that was preventing them from getting out. Many nights Joey and the gang prayed that someone noticed their disappearance and hoped that their Whisperer mates would come to rescue them, but judging by the situation, there wasn’t much progress so far. Their days were numbered and the longer they wait, the bleaker chances were of getting out alive.

            “Did ya hear dat?” Joey muttered as he, too, got up from his sleep. Yugi nodded.

            “Yeah. It’s coming from one of us, but I can’t see where he is.”

            Joey and Yugi decided to get up and walk around to find where the voice came from. The chains around their ankles clinked as they walked. Though it wasn’t long enough to reach the cell door, but at least it was long enough for them to circle the entire brick room. The voice did not seem to come from their fellow teen herms from Gammon and Maximillion High, nor was it from their fellow foreigners, yet it was a little loud enough to tell that he sounded like he was in real pain.

            Finally, after exhausted the first three corners of the cell, they found that the sound originated from the last corner of the cell and they could see through the dim light a silhouette of someone wrapped up in a fetal position, pressing his back against the wall and breathing as quietly as possible, suppressing his whimpers.

            “Hey, you alright?” Yugi asked, not sure whether he was one of them or one of the foreigners.

            “I…I’m OK…” a familiar voice replied.

            “Malik? How’d ya get ‘ere? Watcha doin’ in da corner?” Joey asked, surprised to see that Malik had split so far off away from their sleeping group.

            “N…Nothing…” Malik breathed, his tone betraying his words.

            “Come on, Malik. You shouldn’t be in the corner like this…” Yugi reached out to take Malik to join their gang to sleep when he felt cold sweat covering the young Egyptian’s arms and forehead. He felt his belly and realized Malik had it wrapped in his sweaty arms and he felt his butt and between his legs, finding them very wet, as if he had just peed a great deal, only that it didn’t smell like pee.

            “Malik…?” Yugi whispered. “Are you…in labour…?”

            “N-No, I’m not! Sh-Shut up and l-l-leave me a-a-alone!” Malik yelled, making a few more other waking up, wondering what the commotion was about.

            “Mal, ya stutter wen ya in pain n in denial,” Joey said. “Now admit it, are ya gonna hav ya baby?”

            “I…I can hold it in…It’s no big deal…” Malik spoke in clenched teeth, only to let out a throaty yelp when he felt another contraction.

            “What’s going on? Is Malik OK?” Tristan and Ryou came up to them, a concerned tone in his voice.

            “Malik’s in pain. His water broke,” Yugi replied. “He’s going to have his baby soon.”

            “Already?!” Tristan exclaimed, this time waking up everyone in the cell with his loud excited voice. “But he’s only about 6 and half months along! That’s too soon! He’s gotta have another half a month to go before he gives birth along with us!”

            “I dunno,” Yugi said worriedly as he cradled Malik in his arms, coaching the young Egyptian to breath. “I think it’s because of the stress and the strain he’s been experiencing these days. After all, he had been receiving more slaps and bodily harm than all of us.”

            “Dis is watcha get if ya bein’ too smart-mouth n bein’ a sucker fer punishment,” Joey groaned. “Now whadda we do?”

            “I think we have no choice but to help him give birth,” Ryou said, feeling Malik’s belly. “His contractions in between are getting shorter and,” Ryou felt Malik’s vagina, “if my memories from childbirth books serve me correctly, I think he’s almost fully dilated.”

            “No! I don’t want to give birth! It’s too soon!” Malik shouted as more and more people began to stir and realize what was going on. His eyes darted around nervously at all the young ‘mothers’ watching him worriedly and yelled, “I don’t want to give birth! I can hold it! I can hold it until Marik comes! Marik has to see this, not them!”

            “There’s no time, Malik,” Yugi pleaded. “You need to get started now!”

            “No, no, no!” Malik protested as he flung his arms around, trying to get away from everyone. “I’m keeping it until Marik comes! I’m not gonna give birth till then! Go away! Leave me alone!”

            “C’mon, Malik! Ya bein’ stupid!” Joey persuaded but to no avail as Malik continued to scream for everyone to leave him alone and not to touch him while he held onto the pain of the contraction that was getting more and more frequent.

            “Malik, don’t be an idiot!” Tristan, losing his cool, growled and grabbed Malik’s collar, shaking him despite his gang’s protests. “If you don’t give birth now, your baby’s gonna die! Get it?! You hold it in any longer and it’s gonna suffocate and die! You wanna give birth to a dead baby and show that to Marik, be my guest!”

            That realization hit Malik like a bullet through the head at the thought of a dead baby in Marik’s arms and his Master’s accusing dark demonic look on his face. Tears began to pour out of his eyes as he sobbed bitterly.

            “It hurts…It hurts so bad…”

            “Come on, guys. Break it up. Joey, you have to settle behind him to support his back while he pushes,” Ryou took control of the situation as he pried Tristan’s hand off his collar and took off his own bed sheet shirt to pass it to Yugi, “Yug, you’ll have to help him catch the baby. I’ll coach the birth. Malik, it’s best if you give birth kneeling down. It’ll be a little strain on your knees but at least the baby will come out easier.”

            Malik nodded and let the gang do their thing. Tristan took off his bed sheet shirt and placed it under Malik’s knees so as he wouldn’t chafe his kneecaps on the brick floor. Joey went behind Malik and supported him by the armpits while Yugi sat in front of Malik, preparing with Ryou’s bed sheet shirt to catch the baby.

            “Malik, if I remember correctly, you have to push along with the contractions whenever you feel them,” Ryou instructed, dozens upon dozens of excited and worried eyes looking from behind him. “Do you feel a contraction now?”

            Malik yelped as it came and nodded.

            “Good. Whenever you feel it, just push! Push, Malik, push!”

            Malik gripped the end of Joey’s bed sheet shirt and pushed, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and the tears flow out of them like rain. Soon, as he pushed, a long torrent of encouragement and coaching, especially from the foreigners who knew how to speak their language, came in, helping the young Egyptian through his birth.

            “C’mon, Mal, ya can do it!”

            “Keep pushing, Malik! You’re doing great!”

            “Push! Keep it up!”

            “Push!”

            “Breathe and push!”

            “God…will you guys…fucking…shut up…?!” Malik wanted to scream, but the pain was making his angry voice sounding like a sad, begging whimper.

            “Oh my god!” Yugi exclaimed. “I think I see that head! It’s crowning!”

            “Hurry up and hold onto it, Yugi,” Ryou replied excitedly. “You’re doing very well, Malik. Just keep at it.”

            “Oh fuck…! _Oh fuck…!_ OH FUCK…!!! Fuck, it hurts!!! FUCK!!!” Malik managed to scream and cry at the same time as he felt the lump between his legs that was his baby’s head coming out. “IT HURTS!!!”

            “It’s alright, Malik. It’s normal. Just keep going.”

            “Easy for you to say! You’re not the one giving birth!”

            “At least ya hav only one!” Joey argued. “Think of wat we’re gonna go thru wif two, three babies! Now shuddup n push!”

            “I…I can’t do it anymore…It hurts…!!”

            “You doing very good, Malik,” Yugi said as he tried his best to pull out the baby as much as possible to ease his pain. “We’re right here for you. Just keep going.”

            “I…I want Marik…” Malik began to sob like a baby, like the first time he cried so hard after the ritual. “I want my Master…”

            “Put a sock in it, Mal,” Tristan scolded in an impatient tone. “Think about how happy your Master is gonna be when he sees you with his bundle of joy. You want him to reward you, right? You want him to love you more, right? Come on, stop thinking about yourself and think about your Master instead.”

            Malik bit his lip, trying to hold back his whimpers. It hurts to give birth without his beloved Master being there for him to watch and hold on to, but it hurt him worst to think about Marik’s upset look on his face if ever something bad happened to the baby. Slowly but surely, Malik took a deep breath, waited for a contraction and pushed as hard as he could. More and more voices joined in, mixed with a combination of all sorts of languages as they coached, supported and cheered him on, giving him the strength and courage to press on.

            “Push, Malik! You’re almost there!”

            Malik pushed, biting his lip until it bled, concentrating on bringing his baby out into the world.

            “Come on, keep going!”

            Malik heard a tear, probably from gripping at Joey’s bed sheet shirt but he didn’t care. He just wanted to get that baby out of his womb and into his arms quickly.

            “Almost there! Almost there!”

            Malik’s knees almost buckled due to the increasing pain as the baby’s shoulder—and possibly a wing—made its way out, but Joey was there to hold him upright again.

            “Push harder, Malik, harder! It’s almost out!”

            Malik began to hyperventilate, losing his grip on the conscious world.

            “Just one last push, Malik!”

            Malik bore down as hard as he could, screaming out Marik’s name before fainting out of exhaustion.

\--:--

            “Brother? Are you alright?”

            Marik was outside the torture chamber, clutching his chest with eyes as wide and big as saucer plates, breathing long and deep. Seto and Yami were sent by Lord Seth to check on Marik and the prisoners to see if he could get any possible lead from them, and caught him outside, leaning against the wall looking like he was going to have a heart attack.

            “My…My Dark Chocolate…I felt something…bad inside me…” Marik muttered, not really making any sense. “He’s in trouble…I can feel it…”

            “All our mates are in trouble, brother,” Yami said. “That’s why we need to get some form of clue from the prisoners.”

            “Have they spoken anything yet?” Seto asked. Marik regained his composure before turning to the two cousins.

            “Most of them rather die than speak even under the pain of torture, and I have fulfilled their request. I’m still working on a few more.”

            “Would you like a little help on that, brother?”

            Marik could’ve sworn he saw malice identical to his as Seto asked that question. Marik smirked and gestured them into the torture chamber.

            “Please, brother, feel free to do as you please.”

\--:--

            Malik slowly stirred as he heard a torrent of whispers, mostly in worried and scared tones, echoed in the cell. At first he thought he was finally back in Sky City with the Whisperers and his beloved Master, but when he felt the cold brick floor, he knew it was too good to be true. The first thing he saw was his gang glaring angrily above his head and hands held protectively around him. He turned to see the rest of the teen herms gather at a distance away from them, looking at the same direction his gang was. He turned to see what they were looking at and found himself face to face with a pair of huge eyes as black as night staring back at him in earnest behind the cell bars.

            Malik yelled in shock at first, thinking that the thing before him was going to eat him, but he realized that it wasn’t as interested in him as it was towards a small wrapped up bundle lying close beside him. It reached out its huge sausage-like fingers to touch the bundle and jerked back when the bundle made a shrill whisper-like cry. The young Egyptian ‘mother’ soon knew instinctively that the crying bundle was his little Whisperer pup and quickly grabbed it, holding it close to his chest protectively and his eyes showered with fear and anger.

            “What the fuck is that thing?! What does it want to do with my baby?!”

            “We dunno,” Joey replied, glaring at the thing that was almost as huge as a gorilla, maybe huger, and was sporting fur all over from head to toe—if it ever had feet, that is—like a shaggy dog. They cannot see its face except those gleaming black eyes that peeked out of the hair and its hairy arms leaned against the cell bars, its fat fingers tapping at the bars as it thrilled and rumbled, wanting to touch Malik’s baby.

            “It’s been there ever since you fainted from the birth,” Yugi replied. “It just came out of nowhere and had been staring at us until now.”

            “Go away, you monster!” Malik shouted at the hairy thing. “Don’t you dare touch my baby! I’m warning you!”

            “Milord, do be nice. You know better than to scare a cat with kittens.”

            Everyone held their breaths as Illust-chan made her entrance in front of the cell bar. The light soon glowed a little brighter and they saw her standing with another man who was a taller, male-version of her image, and a few more other people. Judging by their malevolent looks, they can tell they were Bad Seeds. She opened the cell door and went in, the hairy thing and her company followed along with her.

            “Let me see the child,” Illust-chan said.

            “No!” Malik held the baby closer and tighter.

            “You’ve denied me the chance to help you deliver the child, although I gotta admit, despite being amateurs, you guys fair rather well in it. I’m still a midwife after all, and I need to know if the child is healthy enough to be sacrificed to Lord Zorc.”

            “Never! He’s my baby! I’m not letting you lay a finger on him!”

            “Like you have any choice in this matter.”

            Taking this as a cue, the man appeared in a split second in front of Malik and without breaking a sweat, separated the baby from Malik’s arms without even Malik able to feel it. Holding back the frantic new ‘mother’ with one hand, he handed the baby to Illust-chan with the other.

            “Thank you, Brother Majah. You have always been the most reliable sibling in the family.”

            “So are you, Sister Illust-chan,” the man called Majah smirked, holding everyone back with his huge powerful black wings.

            “Hmm, ten fingers and ten toes,” Illust-chan inspected the crying baby. “A little early, ahead of his time, but looks fine and healthy nonetheless. Wings are looking fine. Beautiful hair and eyes. I may not have the keen sense of smell to determine its dominance like Seth, but through experience, I can say this will turn out to be Whisperer-dominant. And, ah yes, it’s a little pure boy. He would make a handsome sacrifice later. I’ll make sure you and your ‘Mommy’ will be first in line to feed our beloved Lord Zorc.”

            At the words ‘feed’ and ‘sacrifice’, everyone could’ve sworn the hairy thing licked its lips.

            “Oh, don’t worry about him,” Majah said. “He’s just getting a little impatient. After all, it’s been almost weeks since he last ate a ‘mother’ and child. Yes, this is our Lord Zorc’s physical body for now. He has to shift bodies every other day because his soul cannot hold still on one body for too long. Pity we had to sacrifice so many Bad Seed comrades to let him have a decent body to live in. Our population is also dwindling as it is.”

            “Let me go! Let me go, you son of a bitch! Give me back my baby! Give it!!!” Malik shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to go past Majah’s huge black wings.

            “Oh, don’t be such a whiney boy!” Illust-chan growled as she inspected the baby some more. She signaled with eye contact at her company and they nodded and left, only to return a few minutes later bringing what she needed. They brought in a wet towel to clean the baby and scissors to cut the umbilical cord that was still attached to the afterbirth due to the fact that the ‘mothers’ weren’t fully equipped with the necessary childbirth tools. Another came to Malik, held him down by the wrists to stop him from struggling, and inspected his vagina. His vagina had almost fully shrunken back to normal and was healing up nicely. After much manhandling, the baby was soon handed to Majah to be thrust back into Malik’s arms. Malik couldn’t control his tears as he hugged and kissed his baby, hushing and rocking him to stop him from crying.

            “Next time, do have the courtesy to yell for me if any of you are in labour. You know it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Alright then, good work, Malik. Someone will come in to bring you a glass of milk to keep your strengths up. I’ll be looking forward to the others soon.”

            With that Illust-chan and Majah guided their Lord Zorc out of the cell and out of the dungeons, the light dimmed as they went. Everyone finally began remembered to breathe as they clutter around the sobbing Malik, wondering if he and the baby was alright.

            “What is her problem?” Tristan growled. “She’s the vainest bitch I’ve ever seen.”

            “At least the baby’s alright,” Ryou said. “You OK, Malik?”

            “How do you think I’m feeling now?!” Malik snapped at him. “I had my baby stripped from my hand and I couldn’t even protect him from their filthy hands! He took my baby away from me without me even realizing it and I let that bitch touch my baby! I couldn’t even fight a guy to keep my baby safe! How does that make you feel?!”

            “There, there, Malik,” Yugi said as he leaned Malik close to his chest. “At least he’s alright. Hush now, you just had a tiring ordeal. Rest up. Your baby needs you.”

            With Joey’s help, they both supported Malik against the wall in a sit-up position and told Malik to lift his shirt so that his baby could feed from him. Malik was soon overcome with fatigue and allowed himself to be manhandled. All the other ‘mothers’ looked in awe as the baby suckled his ‘mother’ hungrily. Everyone cooed and giggled in their own language, complimenting the baby.

            “Aww, he is just so cute!” a German ‘mother’ spoke.

            “Isn’t he just the sweetest little thing?” a Dutch ‘mother’ cooed as he tickled the baby’s ear.

            “His father must be very, very handsome,” a Vietnamese ‘mother’ complimented.

            “Can I hold him? Can I hold him?” someone from Gammon High pleaded.

            “Hey, hey, hey,” Tristan warned that person away. “Let the ‘mother’ hog the kid. You’ll get your chance soon enough.”

            “Watcha gonna name ‘im, Mal?” Joey asked as soon as Malik was done breastfeeding his son.

            “Well, I was hoping Marik would name him for me,” Malik replied, stifling a yawn.

            “Surely you have something in mind for starters,” Ryou said.

            “Well…I have been inclined to name him ‘Night’,” Malik said sheepishly. “Corny, eh? Coz I thought it’s coz Marik is a Night Clan creature and all, so…”

            “Night sounds perfect,” Yugi said. “Just as nice as my Destiny and Hope.”

            “Night it is then,” Joey announced, and Ryou translated whatever was just said to the foreigner ‘mothers’, who in turn nodded in agreement.

            “I just hope someone come over and help us soon,” Ryou said. “Illust-chan may be a midwife, but judging by her attitude, she doesn’t give a damn about Malik and Night’s health. Malik needs professional midwifery help.”

            The rest of the gang couldn’t agree more as they watched Malik drifted back to sleep with Night held possessively in his arms.

\--:--

            “Are you going to talk now?”

            Marik, Seto and Yami were standing in front of a Mountain Dweller who was tied and hung by the armpits in chains, looking at him with malicious eyes. He was hovering above a huge cauldron of hot bubbling lava-like substances being boiled under strong fire. Half of his legs were gone, revealing much of his flesh and bone underneath, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened to it when the smell of burnt flesh and metallic blood lingered in the torture chamber.

            “Well, are you ready to speak?” Marik asked as he gripped tightly at the lever, “Or do you wish to lose the rest of your limbs?”

            “Please…Please, milords…” the Mountain Dweller begged, his face ashen and wet due to the fact that he must’ve been forced awake with water after fainting from the pain. “Enough…I can’t take it anymore…”

            “If you value your life, you will tell us where the Bad Seeds’ hideout is and we can ease you from this torture,” Yami said, taking the poor Mountain Dweller by the chin.

            “I…I can…only remember one thing…they said to me, milord…”

            “What is it? Speak!” Seto demanded.

            “They…They said something about…about The Lair…I didn’t ask…but I think this is…where their gathering spot is…”

            “Are you lying to us? Do you speak the truth?”

            “I…I speak the truth…milords! Please…Please let me go…!”

            “Very well,” Seto replied and took over the lever, pushing Marik aside. Instead of pulling the Mountain Dweller up and out of the cauldron, he pushed the lever down full force, sending the poor traitor into the bubbling cauldron in seconds and watched him scream and gurgle and writhe in the hot lava-like liquid before disintegrating into nothing but a mass of blood and goo.

            After making sure that the traitor was no longer existent, Seto nonchalantly pushed the lever back up to take out the chains that melted along with the Mountain Dweller, rubbed his nose a little to rid of the stench that stung it and walked out, leaving the speechless Marik and Yami behind. Never in their immortal years have they seen Seto behaved that way. They could only imagine how much the disappearance of his mate affected him.

            “We will need to relay this message to Lord Seth,” Yami said, breaking the silence. Marik nodded in agreement.

            Together, Yami and Marik, along with Seto who was waiting outside the chamber for them, went wordlessly to see Lord Seth to report to him about their findings.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ethereal Clan are set to go to war with the Fallen Ethereal, while Joey tries to deal with a situation that he had not expected. Warning: Contains rape
> 
> Note: Illust-chan and Majah are my OCs for this fandom

            Everyone, middle men of the human world and Ethereal Clan alike, was gathered in Mahad’s home in the border again, but this time, with the fresh information they have gotten from the poor reduced Mountain Dweller before Marik executed the rest of the traitors by gathering them all at an open field, tying them all up together and burning them alive on stakes.

            “The Lair?” an Underground Dweller middle man asked. “Are you sure that’s what he said?”

            “It was under the pain of torture,” Seto replied, “but yes, I’m sure that’s what he said.”

            “Of all places, they had to hide out in there,” a Pixie middle man sighed.

            “What of The Lair?” a Taiwanese middle man asked. “Is it a dangerous place?”

            “It is more than dangerous,” Mahad spoke in his deep rich voice. “It is where the source of all evil emerged. In fact, it was where the first Bad Seed existed in this world.”

            Unbeknownst to the human world, not even to the human middle men, before the Duelist Phantom War began, there was another war that existed in which the Outer Beings called it ‘The Hidden War’. The reason no one knew that this war existed was that this Bad Seed was so cunning and so powerful, that he or she or _it_ (because no one knew what the Bad Seed’s true gender was) was able to blend into the human society without causing any suspicion and did its dastardly deeds of gutting and decapitating people for its own sick collection and always managed to find scapegoats to be blamed for its crimes. It was at the initial stages where Ethereal and humans were trying to settle a peaceful treaty of coexistence and this Bad Seed was not making things easier because while the Ethereal fought hard to try and capture it, the humans were stumped with the bizarre killings of people who wake up not remembering what he or she just did but having evidence pointing towards him or her so incriminatingly that there was no choice but to sentence the poor scapegoats to death. Only a few selected human individuals knew of the existence of this Bad Seed, and they managed to destroy it as quickly as possible and provide enough damage control to proceed with the peaceful treaty. They were not obliged to keep this escapade a secret, but the event was so traumatizing that those humans involved felt better off not telling, and through time, everyone either forgot or had not a single clue about The Hidden War.

            “The Lair was an age-old castle-like mansion where the Bad Seed kept all his decapitated trophies,” Mahad ended his tale. “After we disposed of the Bad Seed, we’ve cremated every heads that were in its storage and burnt the place down to the ground. Now that the name is being mentioned, it is obvious we made a mistake of not making sure the mansion has gone down to ashes.”

            “Probably the mansion was revived again by the current Bad Seeds,” a Bulgarian middle man suggested. “After all, I have heard of some of you having the power to restore things back into their original states.”

            “We do not rule out that possibility,” the Head of the Gnomes Clan replied.

            “Well, what are we waiting for?” Middle men Mr. and ‘Mrs.’ Ishtar exclaimed. “We better make a move on if we want to save those kids. Goodness knows what they’re doing to our son right now!”

            “Be patient, Ishtar family,” Maximillion Pegasus raised a hand to calm them down. “The last thing we need is a brash decision and barging in without a proper plan. We might unintentionally make things worse.”

            “What do you suggest we do, Your Majesty?” Lord Seth asked.

            Maximillion Pegasus kept silent for a while before replying in a grave manner, “We shall have to require the services of Akhenadin.”

            Everyone gasped. This time, everyone in the room knew who he was talking about. Akhenadin was a Darkness Dweller and like Mahad, he was the last of his kind. Though he was not a Bad Seed, his powers were just as malicious and sadistic as one, rendering Marik the Royal Executioner an amateur. Darkness Dwellers were a clan that thrives on the power of darkness and can absorb any form of magical and physical attacks like a black hole, and can snuff the life out of you with just one engulf of its dark abyss, literally absorb your life force and render your body into an empty shell of nothingness. The reason why Akhenadin was the only Darkness Dweller left, but rumour has it was that they were too intent in increasing their dark powers that somehow it consumed them all one by one, leaving only Akhenadin, who was a young pup then, alive to aid the Outer Beings to the War. The only con about having a Darkness Dweller as one of the Outer Beings was that it had an allegiance as fickle as a twig. It does not take sides and would sway its loyalty anywhere it pleases, but none dare to question it for fear of its dark absorbent powers.

            “Are you sure we have to resort to such measures, Your Majesty?” the Head of the Fairies asked worriedly. “The last time we required his services, which was during the Duelist Phantom War, he almost decided to join hands with the enemy. Who knows if he had not already sworn his allegiance to the Bad Seeds who kidnapped the young ‘mothers’?”

            “We have to give this a try,” Maximillion Pegasus replied. “With an enemy like this, we can’t take any chances. Drastic times call for drastic measures. I fear they may have something much more sinister behind their wake, and I do not want that chance to come true.”

\--:--

            “Yo, kid! Wake up!”

            “Wha…What…?”

            Malik was rudely awakened by a rough shake on his shoulders. The commotion woke the rest of the ‘mothers’ as well, and everyone was wary and on their toes when they saw that it was one of the Bad Seeds Illust-chan sent to inspect Malik and Night.

            It had been a week since Malik gave birth to Night, and it was a rather new experience. Milk was included into Malik’s diet of corn soup and bread because of his son’s need to be breastfed, and he was given a set of cloth diapers daily for Night’s diaper changes. All the other ‘mothers’ got a chance to get a feel of how a baby is in their arms and they enjoyed every second of pampering and spoiling Night rotten. Many have gotten attached to Night and Malik and wouldn’t hesitate to be a human shield for them whenever one of the Bad Seeds comes down daily to inspect the baby. Resistance was futile when it comes to trying to fight against an Outer Being. They may be Fallen Ethereals, but they were gifted with supernatural powers nonetheless, and fighting them while you’re pregnant is not a wise choice to make.

            “Get up! You’re leaving here!” the Bad Seed growled as he pulled Malik on his feet and shoved Night into his arms. He turned to Joey and pulled him up too.

            “Wh…Where are you taking us?” Malik demanded, resisting the Bad Seed’s pull.

            “Oh, somewhere much comfortable than this dump,” the Bad Seed replied, his smirk telling him that it was anything but the truth.

            “Why do I hafta come along?” Joey asked worriedly.

            “You’ll see soon.”

            “Hey! Let go of him, you fucker!” Tristan stormed up and tried to pry him away from his captor. “Let him go!”

            “None of your business, bitch!” the Bad Seed pushed him away harshly. If it weren’t for Yugi and someone from Maximillion High to catch him before he fell, goodness knows what would happen to Tristan and his baby.

            “Hey! Watcha doin’ wif mah fren?” Joey exclaimed, kicking out at his captor.

            “Don’t do that!” Malik yelled. “Can’t you see he’s pregnant?”

            “Well, if you don’t want anything to happen to either of your friends, I suggest you should come with me quietly.”

            Malik and Joey wanted to resist, but decided against it. They had no choice but to allow themselves to be escorted roughly out of the cell through a leash that was tied tightly around his wrists and walked up the stairs, trying hard to ignore the frantic calls of his friends below. It was a long way up—almost equivalent to about three floors—and their escort had to use magic to levitate the pregnant Joey up the stairs. Soon they found themselves standing in the middle of a huge lobby that was moderately decorated with animal game, old portraits that didn’t really belong, decent expensive-looking furniture, a slow fire burning in its fireplace, a large ruby-red rug and a couple of bookcases here and there adorned with a fair amount of books.

            Sitting on a velvet sofa was a creature that seemed like he just came out of a cactus jungle. His body was covered with thorns sticking out of his body and he had that really sickening green complexion, and a few scales here and there on his exposing skin. He had orange-reddish hair and a pair of yellow eyes, and wore a toga that was pierced through by the thorns. The duo instinctively knew that it was Lord Zorc Necrophades as he stood up and closed in towards Malik, his eyes trailing along his body hungrily.

            “Milord, please. You know you’re not ready yet.”

            Illust-chan, as usual, appeared in the nick of time along with her brother Majah. Majah coaxed Lord Zorc to sit back down and their escort held them in place as Illust-chan came forward to inspect him and Night some more.

            “What do you want?” Malik flinched at Illust-chan’s touch.

            “Looks like both of you are holding up,” Illust-chan commented nonchalantly. “You’ll have to forgive Lord Zorc. He’s been rather temperamental these days. Big ass appetite, you know. And that body of his is not exactly helping to curb his hunger. The owner of the body has a rather high metabolism, so he’s almost always hungry. So how was the first week of ‘motherhood’ for you?”

            “What da hell are I doin’ ‘ere, Illust-chan?” Joey demanded, wanting her to get straight to the point.

            “Impatient, aren’t we? Well, I won’t beat around the bush. You know that you and your friends are going to be sacrifices for our lord, right? Well, to do that, we need sacrifices that are reasonably untainted. Judging by the scars around your body and that choker around your neck, Malik, I assume that you like it rough with your partner, do you not?”

            “That’s none of your business, bitch!” Malik growled.

            “No matter. I won’t hold it against you. You’ve always been the feisty one in Domino High anyways. But your son here, now he wouldn’t do sitting in a dark damp place like the dungeon now, does he? After all, our lord wouldn’t want to consume a dead kid if he ever wants to attain perfect physical form. So that’s why we have to separate those who are pregnant and those already given birth so that we can protect the main priority here.”

            “Why didn’t you let us live up here in the first place?” Malik asked. “With such harsh conditions down there, you wouldn’t know who might end up giving birth to a stillborn because of your treatment.”

            “Oh, details, details,” Illust-chan waved his complaint away. “We have just the thing to solve that. Besides, our lord’s been in a foul mood these days. We might have to…speed things up a little.”

            “What do ya mean?” Joey asked. “N if I’m still pregnant, why am I here?”

            Illust-chan didn’t reply, but gave an eye-signal to Majah. Majah nodded and forcefully picked Joey up bridal style, like he weighed nothing more than a feather’s touch. Malik’s escort dragged Malik by the leash and followed Majah upstairs to one of the rooms in the East Wing. Ignoring the duo’s questions and protests about what Illust-chan meant by ‘speeding things up’, the escort shoved Malik into the room and let Majah lock the door, leaving the young Egyptian pounding and screaming at the door demanding an answer to their questions. After excusing the escort, Majah headed into another room two doors away from Malik and threw Joey onto the bed situated at the far end of the room. Concentrating, Majah willed his huge raven-black wings to shrink back into his body before towering over Joey with lust-filled eyes and a seductive smirk on his face.

            “W…Watcha looking at?” Joey challenged, even though his heart knew that those eyes and that smile screamed trouble.

            “Why, you, of course. I do love a feisty piece of meat,” Majah said. “And it’s been years since I’ve been satiated, what with the sterility of the females in my clan, thus the lack of intercourse interest. I know a pregnant mother who is almost due must refrain from sexual intercourse, but since your friend there is obliged to rest about one month after childbirth, I don’t see the point of holding back from you. Besides, I was given personal permission by Sister Illust-chan. Don’t worry, since you’re pregnant, you won’t have to fear about me knocking you up.”

            “Ya wouldn’t dare!”

            “Wouldn’t I? We’ll just have to find out, shall we not?”

            With that, Majah quickly tore the bed sheet shirt Joey was wearing, baring his pregnant body all for the world to see. Joey tried to escape and get off the bed but Majah held him in a death grip. Removing his loincloth, Majah leaned down to kiss Joey, in which Joey bit him till he bled. No matter how Joey bit, clawed, punched, pushed, kicked and screamed at his ear, Majah didn’t seem to falter for a minute. In fact, the wounds inflicted on him were actually getting the Fallen Ethereal hard.

            “You’re gonna have to do better than that, woman,” Majah replied. “This body of mine has endured more pain and torture than you can ever imagine. These wounds of yours are child’s play.”

            So saying, he immediately lifted Joey’s hips so that his pussy was facing him. With his long blood-red tongue, he tongue-fucked Joey, tickling the clit as he went, sending Joey into an involuntary fits of moaning.

            “S…Stop…! N…No…! Keep…ahh…yer…fuckin’ tongue…offa me…!!!” Joey whined, trying hard not to let his tears fall.

            “I’ve had my eye on you for a long time,” Majah said as he lapped at Joey’s ‘womanhood’ hungrily, alternating between the vagina and the clit. “You’ve got those wild eyes and this honey skin of yours is such a waste on a Whisperer like your mate. Your whole body is showered with illusions of sweet honey. Sister Illust-chan was kind enough to see through my desire and allow me to have you.”

            “Dun touch me…!!! Ahh…!! Stop it…!!! I’m…warnin’ ya…!!!”

            “Such delectable juice you have here in your orifice. It’s hard to believe that you are going to give birth soon. I can see why your mate fancies you so much. If it weren’t for you going to be eaten by our lord as sacrifice, I would be glad to keep you as my mate.”

            “Stop it…! I belong…tuh…Seto…! Git da fuck offa me…!!!”

            “You belong to no one but me tonight, woman. Enjoy it while you’re still beyond our lord’s grasp.”

            “Please…” Joey couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. “Please…let…go of me…”

            His words fell on deaf ears as Majah continued to lap up his juice.

            “If ya…dun…stop…I’m…gonna…”

            “Then don’t hold back, woman.”

            Another lap sent Joey cumming like crazy, spasms after spasm hitting his body like falling bricks. Once he calmed down, Majah laid his hips back down on the bed and saw that Joey was sobbing with his hands on his eyes to cover them, muttering something incoherent. When Majah leaned his ear closer to Joey’s lips, he could hear him repeating “Imma sorry, Seto” over and over again.

            “Seto, that Whisperer Royal Advisor, he is your mate?” Majah asked.

            Joey nodded, not caring who was talking to him.

            “You…love him very much?”

            Another nod.

            “You’re…reserving this body for him, aren’t you?”

            Another nod.

            “Even if you know that you will never see him or your child ever again after the delivery?”

            More nods.

            A long silence ensued before Majah suddenly lifted his hips again and lined his cock against his pussy, disregarding the alarmed look in Joey’s eyes.

            “Such foolish thoughts,” Majah said icily before pushing himself into Joey, earning Joey’s strangled scream as the ‘mother’-to-be felt himself being penetrated.

            “God…please stop…!! Ahh…!! Ahh…!! No…!!”

            “Forget about your mate,” Majah said as he began a steady thrusting rhythm, “and enjoy this. This may be your last sex you’ll ever have.”

            “Se…Seto…Seto…Help me…”

            “Your mate is not here, woman. Get over it.”

            “Seto…Seto…”

            As Majah continued thrusting him, increasing his speed every once in a while, Joey involuntarily moaned and whined, calling out Seto’s name over and over again in tears. This angered Majah’s pride and he began to pummel him even harder, making Joey scream out, the room echoed with his agonized voice as his body was rudely violated by someone else other than his beloved. Malik could almost hear the muffled version of his screams from his room and he worriedly pounded both the walls and the door, demanding out to see what happened.

            “Shut up, woman!” Majah had lost his cool as he pounded him with full force of his superhuman strength. “You’re making love to me, not to Seto!”

            “Se…Seto is…ahh…da only one…I’ll make luv tuh…” Joey cried. “Yer not…makin’ luv…tuh me…Aah…yer raping me…!”

            “I do not appreciate being the third wheel! What does that lame Whisperer got that I don’t have?!”

            “Wat…Aah…!! Wat are ya…sayin’…?”

            “Do you wish to live?” Majah stopped abruptly as he picked Joey up to straddle him, his manhood still engulfed within Joey. “Do you wish to keep your child forever? Swear your heart to me! Swear it and I will see to it that you will not be sacrificed!”

            “W…Wat…?” Joey was so astounded; his tears actually stopped flowing for a moment there. Was he being confessed to?

            “Are you deaf, woman? I told you, I had my eye on you for so long. I desired you the moment I saw you in the school infirmary when Sister Illust-chan told me to check on you and your friends while she made the calls to your parents. I envied at the way your mate hugs you so lovingly and tells you that you are beautiful! I hate the way he caresses your face and kiss your lips and touch the skin that was rightfully mine! I despised the fact that he sired your child instead of me! I loathed the thought of seeing you cry and wallow in self-pity if ever the child you give birth to is Whisperer-dominant and be taken away from you, never to be seen again! I long for the days I could spy on you and your friends for I look forward to see your radiance, yet at the same time I dread it for fear I would see you with your mate instead.

            “I want you to be mine! I want you to be my mate! I don’t care if your child belonged to him! I allow you to keep your child as long as you swear your heart to me! Swear your heart and soul to me and I promise you: not only your life will be spared from our lord’s gluttony, but your child Whisperer-dominant or not will be by your side forever. You don’t have to bear the painful burden of losing your child ever again! Swear to me! I implore you!”

            Joey was stunned at upon hearing whatever came out of the Fallen Ethereal’s mouth. The idea of being able to keep his twins sounded tempting. After all, it was true that if he gave birth and found the babies Whisperer-dominant, according to tradition, it was a no-brainer that Seto has to take them away and break all ties with him. But the thought of having to surrender his heart and soul (and body) to a person he didn’t love and to a clan whose sole purpose is to bring the downfall of the Outer Beings, including the clan of his beloved, was unacceptable.

            “Imma sorry. I cannot allow ya tuh make me luv someone dat I dun luv,” Joey replied. “I luv Seto, n always will. I’d rather die than let ya take ova mah heart n let ya kill both mah beloved n his clan.”

            Majah’s shocked face slowly turned to pure ice-cold anger as the rejection sank in. He gripped hard under Joey’s armpits and pushed him up and down his manhood to the hilt, ramming him hard.

            “Ahh…!!! Fuck…!!! Stop!!! Stop!!! Ya hurtin’ me…!!!”

            “Swear to me,” Majah ordered.

            “N…Never…!”

            “Swear to me! Swear it!”

            “I won’t…!!” 

            Angered by Joey’s resistance, he forced Joey back down onto the bed in missionary position and continued pummeling into him, pounding him again and again until Joey was screaming in tears. Joey’s body betrayed his mind as he cum over and over again, unable to stop even if he didn’t want it to happen. His inner thighs were covered and overflowing with his juice as Majah made him cum like he had never cum before. He could’ve sworn he was going to tear his pussy off with that constant pummeling. The constant tightening of his vaginal muscles as he cum was slowly bringing Majah to the edge. As he tried to hold back his orgasms, he leaned close to Joey’s ear and whispered, “Swear your heart to me, woman. This is your last chance.”

            “I…Imma not…gonna be yer…bitch…!!”

            “Then you just asked for your own grave!”

            So saying, Majah reached his climax and poured in every ounce of his seed in Joey, letting out a loud eagle-like screech in the process. He thrust a few more time to juice it all out before his manhood slowly softened up and him pulling it out of Joey. Leaving Joey lying sprawled on the bed crying, sobbing and trembling in his sad pregnant state, he hastily cleaned himself and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Illust-chan was leaning against the wall opposite the door, looking at him with knowing eyes.

            “Has he sworn his heart to you?”

            Majah sighed and shook his head.

            “Then he is not worthy of being spared from the sacrifice. He will join the rest of his friends in the sacrificial ceremony after his delivery.”

            “I’m sure he will yield. If you give me more time…”

            “No, Brother Majah, you had your time and chance. I have given you enough. Lord Zorc cannot wait any longer. The Outer Beings will be on our tail any moment now. If we were to achieve our goal and reign supreme in the Ethereal Clan and succeed Maximillion Pegasus’ throne, we will have to hasten our pace. Remember where our priorities lie, Brother Majah. You know better than to succumb to such trivial emotional baggage.”

            Majah wanted to retaliate, but decided against it. He knew better too than to defy his elder sister—and leader of the Fallen Ethereals and Bad Seeds—and incur her wrath.

            “Good. Now go and make sure our other brothers go do their jobs.”

            “Yes, Sister Illust-chan.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> War is about to happen and the gang and all the other pregnant hermaphrodites are about to be rescued. How will that end? Warning: graphic violence ahead

            “How is the situation in the Lair?”

            “Looks calm enough.”

            The cavalry had arrived and were hiding out of sight from the Lair where the Fallen Ethereal and Bad Seeds’ hideout supposedly be. According to the instructions given by those involved in the pursuit of the Bad Seed who used to own that Lair, it was located somewhere in the outskirts of Scotland, deep in the forest where it was secluded enough to hide away from both human and Ethereal eyes. If they were to walk down the forest towards the end, they would find themselves in front of a scenic view of the Loch, where the Loch Ness monster was used to rumoured to be in. Of course, before the peace treaty between Ethereal and humans, everyone called it the Loch Ness monster because of their ignorance towards the variety of Outer Beings coexisting with them. After the treaty, everyone soon knew that the Loch Ness monster was just one of the Beasts that were used as a main transport to dive down into the lake to meet up with Ethereals who lived in water, like the merfolks and the Hydro Dwellers. It was said that to avoid suspicion and capture, the Bad Seed actually used teleportation on days when it committed its crimes in a regular basis while it went all out over the world to perform its dastardly deeds, thus the high-level seclusion and the tedious time it took for those involved in the pursuit to arrest it.

            After the long meeting on how to strategize their ambush on the enemy, everyone departed to gather their best forces yet, both human and Ethereal side. The human middle men gathered together to form their own team while the Ethereals went back to their clan to address their army forces into battle, or in other words, what was left of the clan that swore loyalty to Maximillion Pegasus. Seto was hell bent on getting his Puppy back, so it was no wonder when he quickly made his way to the army forces and drilled them to get their gear up to fight. The Ethereal middle men, including Duke Devlin and his remaining loyal colleagues, also ganged up in their own force and joined the fight. Yami, Marik and Ryou joined Seto in his army force and headed out. This time, Maximillion Pegasus personally came along with about a dozen of his finest bodyguards to join the fight. He believed that allowing this atrocity to happen was his fault in the first place for not being a good leader, and that he wishes to take responsibilities for this whole mess.

            Trying to convince Akhenadin to join the team was not an easy task. Just looking for him alone was like trying to find a needle in a haystack as he takes great refuge in places where it’s so dark you can’t even see your fingers even if you held it a millimeter in front of your face. If it weren’t for Dark Dwellers’ nature to be born with eyes glowing in the dark like Whisperers, you wouldn’t even see him even if he’s right under your nose. They were relieved to find out that Akhenadin had not picked sides in this war aftershock, but neither would he yield into participating in another senseless war. All the Heads of the Outer Being, including Lord Seth, had to issue him a handsome sum of bribery just to get Akhenadin to sway to their side. He was now officially in the team, only he was concealed and blended into the pit of the darkness of night, waiting for the signal and the right time to strike.

            “Let’s hope it stays that way before we get to rescue the ‘mothers’,” Seto said as he gave the signal to his soldiers to make their stealth move. His soldiers nodded and followed his every command, followed by the rest of the army forces. Maximillion Pegasus nodded and held up his hand, as a signal for Akhenadin to pitch base at the mansion tower.

            Meanwhile, inside the Lair, things were hectic in the dungeons. Seeing as they were running out of time and their Lord Zorc Necrophades was running out of patience, the Bad Seeds and Fallen Ethereals decided that they could not wait for the ‘mothers’ to come to term and have resorted to induce childbirth. They slipped some mild birth-inducing medication into the ‘mother’s corn soup before giving them the feed of the day, and by the late afternoon, the ‘mothers’ began to react to the medication as they began to feel the birth pangs one by one. Yugi was the first among the Domino gang to react.

            “Oh God…Oww…It hurts…!” Yugi cried, doubling over and clutching his abdomen tightly.

            “What the…?” Tristan was next to feel it. “What’s wrong with us…? It’s…too soon…”

            “It…It must be the food…!” someone from Gammon High exclaimed. “They must’ve…slipped in…something…! Oww!”

            “It must be…some sort of…birth-inducing meds…” Ryou said as he, too, felt the contractions.

            “F…Fuck! What are they thinking…?!” Tristan groaned. “We’re not even due…!”

            “I think…their master is…getting a little…impatient,” someone from Maximillion spoke, holding back a yelp as a contraction hit him.

            “Well, well, well, I think the medication worked beautifully.”

            Everyone looked up to see a group of Illust-chan’s lackeys appearing in front of the cell gate. One of them took out the key to unlock the gate and let everyone enter.

            “You…You bastard!” Tristan cursed. “What are you trying to do?!”

            “It’s our sister’s orders. We’re just doing our job,” the leader of the lackeys smirked, then signaled to his men, “Come along, brothers. Let’s take them all upstairs to the Birthing Chambers. Don’t worry your socks off, ladies. You’ll be well taken care of. After all, most of the midwives you’ve come to know in your world are imposters from our team.”

            As the lackeys reached over to pick the struggling, protesting ‘mothers’, the ground suddenly rumbled like there was a mini-earthquake going on underneath the Lair. Somewhere in the middle of the cell, the floor began to crack and cave in, revealing dozens upon dozens of dwarf-like men carrying axes and spears as they popped out like moles one by one. All of them swiftly and silent hacked and decapitated every single Bad Seed and Fallen Ethereal that were there to take the ‘mothers’ up to their doom. Not a peep was made from the lackeys as their heads fell and rolled off their shoulders one by one to the ground with the speed and agility of the dwarf-like men that could render Flash or Superman speechless. As the headless lackeys fell onto their knees and toppled to the floor, a familiar face along with his team came out of the hole.

            “B…Bakura!!!” Ryou almost screamed with joy but was luckily hushed by Bakura’s kiss. They French-kissed each other for almost 2 minutes before the kisser was reminded by one of Bakura’s comrades about their mission. Bakura grinned and immediately asked the dwarf-like men to carry all the ‘mothers’ and escape through the hole they made.

            “Bakura! Thank goodness you’re here!” Yugi cried in relief, almost forgetting that he was in pain. “Where are the others?”

            “ _Around…_ ” Bakura grinned as he hugged Ryou possessively.

            “What about Duke? Is he here?” Tristan asked worriedly.

            Bakura nodded before replying, “ _Come…_ ”

            With that, Bakura’s team and the gang of dwarf-like men, or to be exact by their real clan name the Underground Dwellers, carried all the ‘mothers’ through a long and dark tunnel that had a lot of twists and turns. Then, from their original route, one Underground Dweller took the lead and started digging with his pitchfork at top speed, deviating towards another direction. They went on and on until they finally reached the surface which was right beside the Loch. There, part of the group of human middle men was there to take over. One of them who had the power of creating force-fields made a huge one to surround the ‘mothers’ while one of them who had the power of teleportation entered the force-field and teleported everyone to Domino Island and into Domino Motherhood Institution where Mai had built specifically for midwifery and delivery just for the ‘mothers’ of Domino Island when the day comes for the mass delivery ritual. In the hospital, the human midwives who were already briefed about the mission and awaiting their arrival soon quickly ushered all the ‘mothers’ into designated delivery rooms and were given a sort of sedative medicine to ease the pain and delay the birth temporarily as it is important and compulsory in the ritual tradition to have the father of the child to be present at the birth. Luckily, the hospital was big enough to accommodate all the ‘mothers’ and soon, their parents were either flown in, shipped in or drove in to be by their side while awaiting for the Whisperer fathers to arrive from the mission to attend the delivery.

            Some of the Whisperers in Bakura’s team were sires of a few of the young ‘mothers’, including Bakura, but they couldn’t stay and start the delivery as they had a mission to complete. Ryou cried and sobbed and begged Bakura to stay, tugging at his arm desperately, even though both knew that they had to separate for now.

            “Please! Please don’t go, Bakura! Please! Stay with me!” Ryou wailed.

            “ _Let go…_ ” Bakura pleaded, trying to pry him away. Ryou’s parents and twin sister tried to coax Ryou to let go.

            “Come on, son,” Mr. Bakura said. “He’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”

            “I don’t want to be alone! I want Bakura with me!”

            “You have us, darling,” ‘Mrs.’ Bakura said. “We’ll accompany you till then.”

            “Yeah, bro. He’s got a job to do,” Ryou’s twin sister agreed. “He’ll come back for you.”

            “ _Promise…_ ” Bakura nodded in agreement, then whispered into Ryou’s ear, “ _Love you…_ ”

            Ryou hesitated for a moment, then sniffled and let go of Bakura’s hand. Bakura planted a chaste kiss on his forehead before rushing off together with his team to accomplish the mission. Again, with teleportation, they returned back to the Loch in Scotland and made their way together with the human middle men to join the rest of the troop in their ambush.

            “ _I’ll return soon,_ ” Bakura muttered to himself. “ _I’ll return to watch the birth of our beautiful pups, Princess. Wait for me patiently…_ ”

\--:--

            “What the…?”

            As Illust-chan and the other midwives realized that the lackeys she sent were getting a tad too late, she decided to go downstairs to investigate, only to discover her lackeys all sprawled on the floor on their own pool of blood and their heads scattered all over the place. The crack on the floor of the empty cell told her enough that the enemy has already begun their ambush.

            Cursing under her breath, she made her way back up and dismissed all the midwives, telling everyone to get ready to retreat. She poured quite a large dose of the birth-inducing meds into a vial of milk and made her way towards Joey’s room where he was kept prisoner. Malik, who was held captive in his room two doors away from Joey’s, heard her passing by and banged the door as usual, demanding out, in which Illust-chan stopped for a while in front of the door and decided to get back to him later. Without the courtesy of knocking, she barged into the room to see Majah stroking Joey’s honey-blonde hair. She took a glance at Joey and saw that he was staring at space, his eyes as blank as a doll’s as he allowed Majah to pet him like a little dog.

            “Move aside, Brother Majah,” Illust-chan said in an authoritative voice.

            “Sister Illust-chan,” Majah stood up, hugging Joey in his arms protectively. “What are you doing here?”

            “No time for idle talk. We are being ambushed. Sooner or later, they will come here. We cannot wait any longer. At least he would do.”

            “Do what, Sister Illust-chan? What are you trying to do?”

            “What does it look like I’m doing?” Illust-chan growled as she pushed Majah aside to force-feed Joey with the milk. “If we want our lord to have the strength to escape safely, he will need at least one sacrifice. I’m going to need this little brat to do that.”

            “Sister Illust-chan! You promised!” Majah exclaimed as he tried to wrestle the milk away from his sister. “You promised that Joseph will not be part of the speed-up process! You promised you’ll let him carry to term! You cannot go back on your word!”

            “My word is law here, Brother Majah, and my word right now is to make this brat give birth now and give it to our lord! Have you forgotten our noble cause?!” Illust-chan shrieked, her voice booming across the room as if there were two people speaking through her mouth. Whenever Illust-chan gets agitated or angry, her wrath was not to be reckoned with. If she began to spout a double overlay voice, she meant business.

            “But…But I love him…”

            “This brat is not worth loving if he can’t even make a simple swearing of the heart! Now step aside, Brother Majah! Don’t make me do something worse than it is!”

            Majah wanted to resist, but he knew through experience that despite his larger built, his powers were no match to his sister. Shoving Majah away, she pulled Joey up by the hair and put the vial of milk onto Joey’s lips and tried to make him drink. Joey made no effort to open his mouth or swallow. All the milk trickled from the sides of his lips and stained his chin, neck and shirt as he continued to stare in space, his mind went to goodness knows where.

            “Curse the gods of Ethereal!” Illust-chan spat as she threw the vial against the wall, shattering it into pieces. “What the hell is wrong with him? What did you do to him, Brother Majah?! Why is he like this?!”

            “I…I don’t know…” Majah replied sadly. “He’s been like this since we had sexual intercourse. He wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t speak, he wouldn’t even sleep. He’s just lying there staring at nothing, like a living dead.”

            “Well, snap him out of it! I’m going off to make some more and also see if everyone else has escaped! I want him alive and kicking by the time I come back!”

            As Illust-chan stormed out of the room, Majah slowly picked Joey up in his arms and lightly patted his face, trying to get him out of his reverie. He called out his name dozens of times but he wouldn’t budge. Finally after shaking him a little, Joey’s eyes finally reacted. They slowly shifted, bringing his gaze towards the broken shards of glass that was once the vial of milk. Without warning, he pried himself out of Majah’s embrace and walked over to the shards. Majah, who was shocked and overwhelmed that his love was finally up and about, did not expect what happened next: Joey reached down to pick up one shard and, with two strokes, slit both his wrists.

            Majah gasped and ran to Joey, trying to press the slit wounds down to stop the bleeding. His eyes filled with horror as he saw Joey finally smiling for the first time since he got into this godforsaken place. It was the exact same smile that Majah has seen and fallen in love with, only it was for a totally wrong reason.

            “Joseph! Joseph, my love! Why did you do this?! How could you be so stupid?! Stay with me, Joseph! Stay with me!”

            “I’m…sorry…” Joey whispered, his voice almost inaudible.

            “What?”

            “I’m…sorry…Seto…I’m…no longer yours…”

            “ _Puppy…?_ ”

            Majah looked up and narrowed his eyes in contempt as he saw his love rival Seto standing there staring at the sight of a bloody Joey before him. Seto widened his eyes in horror at the blood that was spouting from both his beloved’s wrists and saw him in the hands of a Fallen Ethereal. He narrowed his eyes just as equally in contempt as Majah and growled.

            “ _What have you done to my Puppy?!_ ”

            “ _Your_ Puppy?” Majah echoed, speaking in rather fluent Whisperer Tongue as he tore off a bed sheet to tie up the bleeding slit wrists. “He’s _my_ woman! I will not let you have him!”

            “ _Get your hands off my mate, you ugly piece of vile putrid waste!_ ”

            “Over my dead body!”

            Laying back Joey on the bed, the battle of Majah and Seto ensued. Seto’s staff clashed with Majah’s claws as they fought all over the room and crashed through walls, demanding dominance. Whenever someone from Seto’s team tried to reach over to take Joey away, Majah would let out his superhuman eagle-like screech and the sound waves sent them toppling over headlong onto the ground or flying out of the room, crashing through the window as they went. Seto and Majah’s battle aura collided with each other as they fought to the death, breaking everything beyond their wake. It got to one point when their fight was so intense, Majah’s punch actually sent Seto flying and breaking through the walls until he actually landed onto Malik’s bed in his room. Malik, after getting over the shock and quickly holding his bawling baby, realized who it was.

            “Seto?! Oh my god, where is Joey?! Is he alright?!”

            “ _Protect…Puppy…_ ” Seto struggled to get up as he lunged forward to strike Majah again. Malik quickly went towards Joey through the holes of the walls and was horrified to see Joey’s pale blank look as the blood began to seep through the bed sheet tourniquets tied around his wrists. By then, Majah was so bent on the kill and lust for Seto’s blood, he barely noticed as Malik tried to both hold onto his baby and drag him to the next room through another cracked hole on the opposite wall.

            “I’ll have you know,” Majah roared as he gave a blow at Seto, who in turn blocked it with his staff, “my woman almost swore his heart to me!”

            “ _He is not your woman!_ ” Seto growled as he whacked his staff at Majah’s head. “ _He’s my mate! Mine! He and the pups within him are mine!_ ”

            “And what good would that do you?!” Majah kicked Seto’s side and punched his gut. “You will never be by his side! You will take the children away and leave him heartbroken, regretting that he had ever done the ritual! You will make him cry for eternity and sad forever in his life for the love between you that cannot be! I can provide whatever you can’t!”

            “ _No, you won’t!_ ” Seto flung Majah out of the window with the power of his staff, then followed after him to resume fighting. “ _You will use him again and again, and you will harm my pups out of spite! You will never love him as much as I do! You only want him for his body!_ ”

            “I can provide him love and affection!” Majah screeched, his sound wave banging and rumbling against Seto’s built. “I can give him a family! A _real_ family! I can be a loving father to his pups and a faithful, loyal husband to him! I will be there for him, answering his every call and granting his every wish! You will leave him and make him marry someone he does not truly love and have a family he does not truly want! At least with me, he gets to keep the pups and never have to fear of anyone leaving him alone! I can be what you can’t, and will always be what you never will! _I_ reign supreme in this rivalry! I win!”

            “ _Maybe so,_ ” Seto said as he smashed the sound wave away and repelled it back to Majah as much as possible. “ _But I will remain in his heart and soul forever. I will be the only person he truly loves, and will always be the one he would think of whenever times serves him. You are doing me a favour by letting him keep my pups because his pups will always remind him of me, the lovechildren created by us becoming as one both heart and soul. Every sleepless night he will think of the nights he made love to me. Every time you shower your love to him, he will think of my tender loving care. Every blood you shed on our clan will only deepen his hate for you. You are contradicting yourself because you are not the person he truly loves either and the family you want to give him is not what he truly wants. You’re being a hypocrite._ ”

            “How would you know how I feel?! How would you know what he would be thinking?!”

            “ _Because those are the exact things I would feel._ ”

            With that, holding his staff like a baseball bat, he swung as hard as he could, using the speed and strength to amplify the effect of his staff’s magic force to pummel Majah to the ground. The force of Seto’s magic severed both Majah’s huge raven-black wings and without the advantage of flight, he soon fell headlong towards the ground, with tree branches breaking his fall in between, and rammed his back hard on the earth below. By the time he came round, he realized Seto towering over him with ice-cold eyes that spelt murder, and his whole body was paralyzed, possibly because he broke his spine from the fall.

            “You…You don’t deserve Joseph…! He’s _mine_!”

            Seto didn’t reply, but his whole fiber of being was seething with anger, hate and vengeance as he raised his staff high in the air and rammed the lower end of it real hard onto Majah’s manhood, drawing blood. With the staff still embedded onto what’s left of the Fallen Ethereal’s dick, Seto knelt down and brought his face close to Majah and hissed in a very venomous tone.

            “ _This is for defiling my Puppy._ ”

            So saying, he got up and turned his back at Majah, leaving him there to die. He crossed paths with Akhenadin, who looked like he had quite good fun making carnage in the Lair, gazed sideways indirectly at Majah and walked off. Akhenadin understood that gesture and closed in to Majah, claiming what’s left over for him.

            His blood lust face grinning from ear to ear was the last thing Majah saw before complete darkness engulfed him.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang had been all rescued and admitted to the maternity wards ready for their birth, and the fate of their children being Human or Whisperer-dominant lies ahead unknown. Warning: Graphic birth scenes

            “Oh my God, Joey!!!”

            All the parents of the teen herms of Domino Island craned their necks out of the rooms to see what the loud shout was about. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were shocked to see Joey in Seto’s arms looking more dead than alive, and as he was being manhandled by the midwives and the doctor-in-charge, he had not said a word. His eyes continued to stare at nothing and his body showed no sign of movement as the doctor and midwives tended to his slit wrists, applying medication and bandages around them and gave him some IV drops for his obvious malnutrition and dehydration, and since he was fortunate to not swallow the birth-inducing meds Illust-chan wanted to force-feed him, he suffered no effects of induced childbirth and the twins in him were issued a clean bill of health. The doctor diagnosed that the ordeal they have went through in the Lair had possibly caused some form of trauma and he has yet to get out of the shock, thus Joey’s vegetative stance. He was quickly admitted into ICU for further observation and to wait out his pregnancy term, and his parents were urged not to enter for the first few days to try and let him ride out the shock on his own for a while.

            The mission was a success. Every last one of the Bad Seeds and Fallen Ethereal who tried to escape was either killed or cornered by the army forces of both Maximillion Pegasus and the Outer Beings. They were all arrested and shrunken to almost ant sizes by a human middle man who had the power to alter the sizes of matter. They were all held captive in small glass cases prepared by the army forces of the Fairies and kept for safe-keeping by Mahad and Obsidian the Dark Magician. They found the pure human men who were used to lure and capture the teen herms in a filth room, their severed bodies stacked upon each other to be left to rot as they were no longer of any use to the Bad Seeds and Fallen Ethereals in their plans for domination. Lord Zorc Necrophades, who was in the state of stupor in his room due to lack of strength without a new sacrifice to devour, was immediately taken to custody and sealed alone in an enchanted amulet to be added in the collection of other prisoners.

            Akhenadin was nowhere to be seen as he had his fill of excitement and had probably returned to his dark sanctuary after having done with Majah left over by Seto. He had to admit that he had fun catching all his victims by surprise to make way for the rest of his comrades to enter the Lair without stirring much commotion, and he enjoyed looking at the horrified faces of people as they were engulfed and their souls absorbed into his black hole-like darkness, but he was one to get bored easily when the kill was too easy. Besides, he was not in a mood to claim the spoils of war. He’d prefer to be on his own doing whatever Dark Dwellers do best when they’re in their own little world. He was fine with the Outer Beings reaping all the glory, as long as the affairs of the Outer Beings and of the Ethereal Clan are no longer his concern, being the non-chooser of sides he was.

            Illust-chan was returning with another dose of the birth-inducing meds when she saw the haphazard state the room was. She spotted Malik with Joey and was all out for bloody murder when she was stopped in her tracks by the sudden appearance of Marik, wielding his scary dark static-crackling powers in his hands. As he did on Diesel Kane and his gang, he sent off the black tendrils through Illust-chan’s veins, giving her a slow, painful, excruciating death. This time, Malik did not stop him from doing what he did best and was able to witness the end result of what would’ve happened to Diesel Kane and his gang. By the time he was done, Illust-chan was in shreds all over the place as the tendrils exploded within her, bursting every single vein it had crawled into, her brains, body parts, entrails, bones and almost anything that made a person’s body sprawled all over the floor in a bloody pool of mess.

            After letting Akhenadin take care of what was left of Majah, Seto quickly returned back to the Lair where Malik had him in and tend to his wounds. Malik has finally reunited with his beloved and apologizing profusely between tears about him not waiting for Marik to see him giving birth, and Marik in turn held him tightly in his arms and hushed, whispering in his limited Human Tongue that everything was OK. While Marik held his little pup for the first time, Seto was busy with his Puppy, wrapping fresh clean sheets around his wrists and whispering spells to stop the bleeding. Joey was alive but barely, as his face looked pale with no sign of breaking out from his shocked stance. As Seto carried him in his arms all the way back to Domino Island along with Lord Seth and his other fellow Whisperer, Joey continued to stare in space and show no response whatsoever to his surroundings. It was as if he had totally lost touch of reality and couldn’t be bothered to wake up from his sleepless dreams.

            Malik and his baby Night (whose name was approved by his Master Marik) was tended by the midwives as soon as he reached the hospital along with Joey and the other Whisperers. The midwives checked Night’s weight, height and all things concerning a newborn baby while the doctors checked Malik’s health. So far, so good. Since Malik was the first to give birth, Lord Seth did his royal duty to honour the ritual and sniff out the newborn pup. It was a no-brainer that Lord Seth announced that Night was a Whisperer-dominant, which confirmed Illust-chan’s guess. Malik had expected this to happen, and had prepared himself to face the consequences of giving birth to a Whisperer-dominant baby, but he couldn’t help feeling sad knowing that he would never see Marik or Night ever again after this. And though he didn’t wish Marik to see him, Marik knew that his little Dark Chocolate was crying and sobbing in his arms. All the Royal Executioner could do was hush him and stroke his back to comfort him, and promise him that Night would be in good hands.

            As soon as the sedatives and medication to delay the birth wore off, the whole hospital was soon overwhelmed with young ‘mothers’ whining and crying in pain as their contractions kicked in. The hospital had to call for doctors from other hospitals and clinics and Lord Seth had to send the message to Maximillion Pegasus to gather as many human and Ethereal midwives as possible to cover the shorthand of staffs. All the Whisperers involved in siring the children of the young ‘mothers’ quickly sniffed them out and went into their rooms to witness the birth.

            Tristan tried to act tough when Duke came in to witness the birth, but when Duke held his arm, asking if he was OK and telling him that he was here with him, Tristan couldn’t stop his tears from overflowing. Mr. and ‘Mrs.’ Taylor were glad to meet Duke for the first time, and did not ask questions about why he and Tristan were so intimate with each other, seemingly giving them a sort of knowing look when Duke planted a chaste kiss on his forehead and helped him ride out the pain. Due to his strength and stamina from his life of being a jock, giving birth was a little bit easy for him, although Tristan still couldn’t hold back the tears and the pained curses and swears as he struggled to push the baby out into the world. His cold sweat drenched the hospital gown he was wearing and blood was all over the sheets, and there were almost a few times when Tristan wanted to stop and give up, but with his parents and Duke’s encouragement, he managed to pull through. After about almost half an hour and the umpteenth time of pushing, a beautiful herm Whisperer was soon caught by the midwife. Lord Seth entered and sniffed the baby out, and announced it to be a Whisperer-dominant. Despite the fact that he announced first time in Solomon’s lecture on the ritual that he would not cry when Lord Seth made that sort of announcement, Tristan bawled and wailed in agony in Duke’s arms, screaming “No! No! No!” over and over again while Duke tried as best as he could to calm him down and hush him, rocking him gently to and fro until his little Soldier passed out from fatigue.

            Yugi, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered with all the formalities of introducing Yami to Solomon as he wrapped his arms around Yami and kissed him hungrily, savouring the taste of his mouth that he had missed so much since he was held captive in the Lair. Solomon looked a little disapproving at first, but decided to leave them be as he could see that Yugi was riding the pain much better with Yami’s presence. Yugi tried to be strong at first as they started off the birth, but soon was flooded with tears and pain as he felt the babies inched out of his vagina. Due to his smaller built than his fellow feminine friend Ryou, it was a little hard for him to push the baby out, so the midwife had to resort to using a pair of surgical scissors to cut the vagina wider, earning a painful wail from the little ‘mother’. The whole room echoed with his agonized screams as he gave birth to Destiny first, almost squeezing the hell out of Yami’s hand and tearing the sleeve of Solomon’s shirt. As was experienced by Malik, the head and shoulders coming out were the worst pain he felt, and he almost passed out from the pain and the amount of blood he was losing, but hearing Solomon’s encouraging words and feeling Yami’s reassuring hold on his hand and back, he managed to snap out of near unconsciousness to push Hope out. The midwife announced that he gave birth to both a pure boy and a herm boy, but that didn’t matter much as Lord Seth’s announcement that they were both Whisperer-dominant. Yugi somehow knew this was going to happen, but like Malik, he couldn’t help crying over the thought of not seeing Destiny and Hope—and Yami—ever again.

            Ryou was glad that Bakura kept his promise and came back to witness the birth. Although he had sustained a few wounds from apprehending some of the most stubborn Bad Seeds, he was still up and about enough to come in and hug his little dear Princess, whispering that he was here and not going anywhere. Giving birth for Ryou was, as Tristan would put it, like a bitch. Even though the midwife asked if he wanted to do Caesarean due to his condition, Ryou refused, saying that he wishes to experience childbirth and wanted Bakura see him bearing the fruit of their love on his own. Ryou made no effort to stop his tears or his screams of pain though as the triplets were pushed out of him one by one. He had to be given the scissors treatment as well because of the amount of babies he was giving birth to, but despite crying and screaming in pain, he made no effort to stop pushing unless told so by the midwife. One by one, the babies edged painfully out of him, and one by one, their cries rang through the delivery room as the midwife announced that they were all beautiful pure boys. Lord Seth entered as soon as the midwife allowed him and his nose told him that the triplets were all Whisperer-dominant. Ryou felt in his gut all along throughout his pregnancy that his triplets would be Whisperer-dominant and smiled through his tears, asking Bakura to take real good care of their babies. Bakura could tell from his forced expression that he was just as sad as any other ‘mother’ who was going to lose their child forever, but he just held his words back and nodded in promise. If Ryou could be strong about this, then he had to show his support too.

            The entire birth in Domino Motherhood Institution lasted all night and the whole hospital was filled with tiny squalls of babies taking in the first breath of air. Lord Seth had witnessed and smelt through the entire delivery room and had announced that 75 percent of the babies born were Whisperer-dominant, while the other 25 percent were Human-dominant. Out of those Whisperer- and Human-dominant, about 60 percent of them were pure boys and the rest were herms. Those involved in the record-keeping quickly took note of the information so that they could store it in their database later for future reference, while those involved in the delivery services congratulated each other for a job well done and celebrated their success with a light cocktail punch along with Lord Seth and his clan and Maximillion Pegasus after making sure the young ‘mothers’ were tucked in nicely in bed and asleep and their babies put in their cribs nice and warm.

            Probably the only person not celebrating with the rest was Seto. Instead of being in a delivery room like the rest of his friends and fellow Whisperers, he was forced to linger around the hospital aimlessly up and down each floors because he was not allowed into the ICU and that his beloved was not one of those ‘mothers’ there pushing and screaming and crying and giving birth to what seemed to be the most beautiful creatures known in mankind’s history. He would pass by the ICU once in a while, but the drapes were drawn, shutting out the view of his beloved and the door was locked, making him unable to enter. He wanted to use magic to go in but he would need his brother’s Millennium Rod for it, and it didn’t take a genius to know that his down-to-earth brother would strongly refuse. His own battle staff did not come with the function of teleportation, so it was pretty much a useful piece of stick for him. He could try using his superhuman to break through the door, but then again, this would attract too much attention, and it would certainly earn him a sound scolding from his brother.

            Seto cursed under his breath. Even though he and his friends had been removed of the Forbidden Blue’s curse for this mission, he didn’t find it the least bit comforting being with his mate. He remembered the time Lord Seth and Lord Katz called for the five to the council room of commons, and the cold, authoritative tone his twin brother spoke as he announced his decision…

\--:--

**_FLASHBACK BEGINS_ **

            _“Have you all learnt your lesson now?” Lord Seth asked, his arms across his chest with his cold blue eyes staring down at them royally._

_“Milord?” Yami looked up, not sure what he was trying to say._

_“Everyone’s worries have come true,” Lord Seth replied. “The young ‘mothers’, including your human counterpart you dwell your emotions upon so much, have been held captive by the very enemies we are fighting against for His Majesty Maximillion Pegasus. They have become collateral damages of the aftershock wars, and it’s your fault your human counterparts are into this. What have you to say for yourselves, brothers?”_

_The five lowered their heads, not wanting to admit that their Lord was right, but did not dare to speak otherwise._

_“Now it has come to this, I have no choice but to allow Lord Katz to undo the Forbidden Blue’s curse so that you may perform your duties to your best efforts. All I need to know now is whether you lot have already learnt your lesson.”_

_After a rather long silence, Seto knelt on one knee and muttered, “We have wronged you dearly, brother. We ask humbly for your forgiveness.”_

_“Are you sorry for what you have done?”_

_“Yes, brother. We had put both our human mates and our clan in perilous danger. We are sorry.”_

_“Are all of you in unison with this?” Lord Seth turned his gaze at the rest of the four._

_“Yes, milord,” the four replied as they, too, knelt the way Seto did._

_“Very well,” Lord Seth said, then turned to Lord Katz and ordered, “Release them from their confines, beloved.”_

_“Most certainly, milord,” Lord Katz sighed happily and came forward to the four. Extending the pendant that kept the Forbidden Blue, he summoned the dragon out and gave it the signal to remove the curse. The Forbidden Blue opened its mouth up wide and blew out white-hot fire that surrounded the five. The fire licked through their skins and burnt out the mark on their shoulder, turning it into ashes of nothingness. By the time the fire subsided and the Forbidden Blue returned to the pendant, the troublesome mark that caused their near-death countless times was gone, leaving their shoulders bare and clean as a baby’s bottom, as if it had never existed._

_“Now gather your men, brothers,” Lord Seth said before he left the room. “We are going to war.”_

**_FLASHBACK ENDS_ **

\--:--

            “ _Curses!_ ” Seto growled as he slammed his fists hard on the door of the ICU. Millions of questions of regret ran through his mind. Why didn’t he ask his twin brother to remove the curse mark sooner? Why didn’t he sneak off and try to save Joey as soon as he heard the confession made by the traitor? Why couldn’t he get to the Lair sooner? Why did he waste his time fighting with that idiotic Fallen Ethereal when he should be tending to Joey? Why did it have to be like this? Why? _Why??_

            “ _Brother Seto?_ ”

            Seto turned to see Marik standing before him, his eyes a hint of concern between his maliciousness. To be more exact, his features had seemed to soften up a little more ever since he started caring for his human counterpart Malik. Being in love definitely does wonders to the savage beast. He would’ve laughed at and teased Marik and thanked Malik for being such the submissive masochist if his heart wasn’t so overwhelmed and broken by Joey’s state right now.

            “ _Leave me be, Brother Marik,_ ” Seto whispered just enough for the Royal Executioner to hear.

            “ _I can help you._ ”

            “ _Does that include waking my Puppy up from his sleepless nightmares?_ ”

            Marik shook his head, saying, “ _But I can help you be by his side._ ”

            Before Seto could register what Marik had just offered, he held out his hand and placed it against the door. A vortex soon appeared and seemed as if it was swallow part of the door he was touching. The vortex grew larger and larger until it was big enough for a person to go through. Soon, through the vortex, Seto could see his beloved lay stoic on the bed without any reaction whatsoever.

            “ _Your Dark Chocolate has really changed you, Brother Marik,_ ” Seto smirked as he looked at Marik appreciatively. “ _You’re behaving almost like I used to know you._ ”

            “ _Breathe a word of this and I will make sure your soul never return from the afterlife,_ ” Marik growled warningly, his demonic eyes sporting a hint of embarrassment.

            Seto nodded in thanks and went through the vortex into the room. As soon as he entered, Marik quickly closed the vortex and walked off, hoping that no one saw him. Seto made his way towards Joey’s bed and took his hand while sitting down on a chair. As usual, Joey made no attempt to acknowledge his presence and didn’t even so much as flinch at Seto’s touch. His eyes continued to stare at nothing in particular and his lips never moved or utter a peep. Joey would occasionally blink a little and his chest would rise and fall slowly as he lay there with bated breath, but other than that, he was showing no signs of mobility.

            “ _Puppy…? Puppy…Me Seto…_ ” Seto tried to call him in Human Tongue, but seeing Joey did not react, he tried to speak in his own language, “ _Puppy, please. Look at me. It’s me, Seto, your Dragon. Please wake up._ ”

            Silence replied him. Seto held onto Joey’s hand tighter, his shoulders trembling as he tried to hold back his tears.

            “ _Please, Puppy. Please wake up. I’m so sorry for not rescuing you earlier. I should’ve been there for you. I should’ve been there to stop that Fallen Ethereal from defiling you. Even now I can still smell his putrid essence on you. It tears my heart to know what horrible things you have been through. I’m so sorry…_ ”

            Despite him trying hard not to cry, his ice-blue eyes betrayed him and allowed the tears to flow down like rain, droplets falling onto the hand he held. He had never felt so bitter and upset before in his whole life, not even when his parents died in the War and left them all alone to fend for themselves and rule over the Whisperer Clan side by side. His heart felt as if it had been clenched by the toughest claws in the world and then smashed in with the biggest stake you can find. Every inch of his body felt like it was pulled down by chains connected to lead and sunken into the deep sea below. Who would’ve thought loving someone with all your heart and soul and seeing the love of your life slipping slowly away from you would feel so utterly painful?

            “I’m…sorry…”

            Seto’s head shot up as he heard Joey’s soft, almost inaudible whisper. He looked at Joey and saw two trails of tears falling from the corner of his unblinking eyes. Though the rest of his body still remained stationary, to hear and see Joey’s reaction, however small, was all he needed.

            “ _Puppy…?_ ” Seto cried in Human Tongue, placing his ear near his lips. “ _What…you…say…?_ ”

            “I’m sorry…I’m…sorry…”

            “ _It’s…OK…_ ” Seto assured him, stroking his cheek.

            “I’m…no longer…yours…I’m sorry…”

            “ _Shh_ _…_ ”

            “Bye…”

            “ _What…?_ ”

            Joey’s silence returned again. Again, his Puppy returned to same old stoic state, his eyes blank, his body stiff, his breathing bated and his mind elsewhere. He was gone again in his sleepless nightmares and no matter how Seto shook and called him in both Human and Whisperer Tongue, he made no reaction.

            Soon the whole hospital rang loud with Seto’s roar of agony.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey has gone into a catatonic state due to his guilt, pain and trauma from the rape, and his friends decide to turn to someone of great power to help him out

            “ _Please, brother dearest. You must come home and rest._ ”

            “ _Not until I am the first person he sees when he wakes up._ ”

            Lord Katz sighed. He should’ve known Seto was just as stubborn as his twin brother. They definitely came from the same bloodline of indignant families. There was no budging Seto from his decision.

            It had been almost two weeks since Joey lost his mind from reality and became that stoic state. His pregnancy was almost due within the next two weeks and still he had not recovered from his stupor. He had to depend on nutrient and IV drops because he wouldn’t open his mouth to chew or swallow his food, and the midwives have to help him exercise his limbs daily because he wouldn’t move an inch. He just stayed in bed, lying there like a lifeless doll with no motor skills or reflexes whatsoever. Lord Seth had helped relay the news from his twin brother to the doctors telling about the rape incident with Majah, and they all agreed that it was the cause of his shocked state. So far, medication and outside help was keeping him and the babies alive, but that alone was not enough to straighten him out. Unless Joey was willing to face his demons and snap out of it by his own free will, he would probably never get over it.

            The doctors and midwives agreed that if Joey kept remaining like this until the due date, they will have no choice but to perform a Caesarean to help him give birth. Seto would not hear of it. He strongly believed that when the time comes, Joey will wake up and he will be by his side to help him through the birth. But so far, nothing has changed. Joey remained stoic and unresponsive, and no matter how Seto spoke to him and tried to wake him, he did not budge. Even when his other friends came over to visit him and tried their luck (with Tristan being the usual rough style he is), Joey continued to remain lost, his eyes so blank and his face so unreadable, you’d almost think he was dead. And because of Joey, the whole Sending Off ceremony, whereby those who gave birth to Whisperer-dominant babies must give over their babies to their Whisperer mates and send them off, had to be postponed due to the fact that every ‘mother’ must be present and accounted for to do this ceremony.

            “Shit! Why did it turn out this way?” Tristan cursed, punching the wall of the ICU with one hand while holding onto his baby with the other. Despite the fact that he was rather glad he could keep his baby a little longer before the Sending Off ceremony, he was still worried about his best friend’s wellbeing. After all, they have been together since childhood before meeting the rest of the gang.

            “If only I had enough magic powers like my parents,” Malik said guiltily as he breastfed Night. “I would have busted through that door or that wall and rushed into the room to stop that son of a bitch! They were just a few doors beside me and I…”

            “Don’t blame yourself, Malik,” Yugi leaned close to touch his shoulder as he was carrying both Destiny and Hope in his arms. “It’s no one’s fault but that Fallen Ethereal’s, and Seto has already taken care of him. It’s not your burden to bear.”

            “Poor Seto,” Ryou said as he looked through the half-closed drapes of the window of the ICU at Seto who was holding Joey’s hand and stroking it. His triplets were being fussed at by his parents and twin sister, so he left them to baby-sit for a moment. “The rape incident must’ve hit hard on Joey. I don’t know what I’d do if this ever happen to me. I think I might end up just like Joey as well.”

            “It’s understandable,” Yugi agreed. “It’s almost as if you feel like you are betraying your lover by having sex with another person even though it’s not your intention. Like you’re dirty all over and no longer worthy of your lover’s love. It’s a tough thing to happen. I can understand why Joey wished to escape reality like this.”

            “Speaking of the Fallen Ethereals and Bad Seeds, whatever happened to them anyways?” Tristan asked.

            Yugi then told the gang about what he heard from his middle men friends Fortuno, Charlie and Bickford and Snipes: Apparently after killing and arresting those involved, they were quickly brought into trial where Maximillion Pegasus, without further ado, charged them of treason, disrupting the peace, attempts to overthrow the Lord of all Outer Beings and attempted murder on the teen ‘mothers’ and their babies, and they were immediately sentenced to death. Marik the Royal Executioner wasted no time in excising his work and did what he did best. All of them died a very slow but violent death through Marik’s dark sadistic torture games, and it was a no-brainer that Marik loved every second of what he did.

            Lord Zorc Necrophades, on the other hand, was powerless against the Outer Beings due to his weak and vulnerable condition. Seto took pleasure in driving Zorc’s spirit out of the body and Yami did the honours of disintegrating it into nothingness, never to be seen again. After executing all the Bad Seeds and Fallen Ethereals, everyone in the Ethereal Clan got together to discuss and come to an agreement of their territorial dispute and finally managed to clear all frustrations and tensions that have been put off for so long as they signed a treaty stating the proper equal distribution of lands for each and every Outer Being in the Ethereal Clan. So, from now on, the aftershocks were officially resolved and everyone has agreed in the Ethereal Clan to live harmoniously and prosperously under one unison.

            “Thank goodness that’s resolved,” Ryou sighed in relief. “I wouldn’t want to become another tool for ransom again.”

            “Say, Ryou,” Tristan voiced out, “we all know Yugi and Malik’s babies’ names. What did your Bakura named your kids?”

            “Well, we had a little disagreement, but after a long thought and suggestions by my parents, we decided to name them Shuu, Tenenbaum and Winchester, all of them names of our first few ancestors who had done the ritual. We thought it’d be right to honour them that way. What about you, Tristan?”

            “You’ll laugh. It’s kinda cheesy,” Tristan blushed a little, scratching his chin a little. Seeing that expression from Tristan for the first time sparked their interest and curiosity even more.

            “Oh, really? Do pray tell, my friend,” Ryou stroke his chin with a wicked grin.

            “I’d rather not.”

            “Come on, Trist,” Yugi persuaded. “What can be worst than ours?”

            “You’ll laugh. Seriously.”

            “Try us,” Malik challenged.

            “Well…we…uh…actually it was my parents and Duke who made the final say, like I didn’t exist or something, and I was running out of ideas…” Tristan hesitated.

            “Oh, come on, spit it!” Malik groaned impatiently. “Out with it, buddy!”

            “TheynamedhimSnow!” Tristan blurted out in one whole breath, feeling rather agitated.

            “Snow? Why Snow?” Yugi widened his eyes in disbelief. Tristan replied with a finger pointed towards the ICU’s inside window where snow was falling outside, fogging the glass as it fell.

            “Wow! Is it winter already?” Ryou said. “Time sure flies past real fast!”

            “Yeah, well, thing is they cheated me out of a chance to decide a name,” Tristan looked away, his face obviously flushed pink. “Since my kid was born a herm, they’d thought of giving him a slightly feminine name, and it just so happened to be snowing outside while I was KO-ed in bed, so they decided to name him ‘Snow’ whether I liked it or not.”

            “Aww, that’s so cute!” Malik cooed, sounding almost teasingly sarcastic.

            “See?! I knew you’re gonna react that way!” Tristan exclaimed.

            “At least we’re not laughing,” Yugi grinned. “But seriously, Trist, it’s quite a nice name. I’d name one of my kids ‘Snow’ if we hadn’t already decided the names.”

            “You’re not just being nice, are you?” Tristan raised a skeptical eyebrow, which in turn was replied with a simultaneous shaking of head by his fellow friends. Everyone soon turned their gazes at Seto who was still at Joey’s bed still holding his hand and stroking it against his cheek with a very worried and sympathetic Lord Katz standing beside him. The four of them sighed in unison.

            “I know I shouldn’t say this but,” Tristan voiced out, “Jo’s gotta get out of that trance. He’s gotta think about the babies in him! He’s not doing either his babies or himself any good moping around like this! And look at Seto! When was the last time he ate?”

            “You’re right,” Ryou agreed. “His babies are the main priority right now. If he didn’t wish to live for himself, he should at least live for his babies.”

            “Yeah,” Malik nodded in agreement. “Where’s all the love he had for Seto and the babies gone to?”

            “Any suggestions? We’ve pretty much exhausted everything so far. Nothing seems to work,” Yugi asked, concern rang all over his tone.

            Almost as soon as Yugi asked that, a simultaneous idea came into their heads. It was as if they were almost as psychic and as telepathic as Fortuno and Snipes. They were the exact definition of “Great minds think alike”.

            Soon, Yugi knocked the ICU door, entered and waved for Lord Katz to come over.

\--:--

            “Forgive us, Your Majesty, for being so bold as to ask of this.”

            Almost everyone in the hospital crowded outside the ICU to catch a glimpse their VIP guest, wondering why he was doing here and not tending to other important matters in the Ethereal Clan.

            “Do not worry, mortal friends. I am always here to help the needy. I am honoured that you have recognized my talents.”

            There was no other way around it. The four had to brave themselves to ask the impossible from Lord Katz: to send in Maximillion Pegasus, who has the highest power and authority of the Outer Beings to help snap Joey out of his endless reverie. Lord Katz was hesitant at first, but knowing that his mate Lord Seth could not and would not consent into meddling with human affairs aside from the ritual, and knew that any other Ethereal Clan would be nonchalant and apathetic about Joey’s situation, he had no choice but to comply with the four’s wishes. He made the secret trip with Marik, accompanied by Yami, Duke and Bakura, to go meet up with Maximillion Pegasus to help Seto and Joey heal their current situation. Maximillion Pegasus, after much consideration and consultancy from his Royal Advisors, agreed to make the trip down to Domino Motherhood Institution to try his luck on waking Joey up.

            “ _Y…Your Majesty…! What brings you here?_ ” Seto stood up immediately at the sight of Maximillion Pegasus and was prepared to bow before him but was halted by the Ruler.

            “I came here on the account of compassion, dear Royal Advisor,” Maximillion Pegasus smiled as he came close to the unresponsive Joey, with Seto’s four Whisperer friends, Lord Katz and Joey’s four friends following behind his wake. Mr. and Mrs Wheeler, after receiving the call from Yugi and the gang about their attempt, had already driven at top speed to the hospital and were also part of the group inside the ICU watching Maximillion Pegasus do his magic. He made a gesture and the door turned the lock and the drapes were drawn by itself, blocking out all the disappointed spectators.

            “ _I’m sorry we had to resort to this, Your Majesty,_ ” Lord Katz spoke apologetically.

            “Oh, I do not mind one bit, Lord Katz, though I do have concerns of your royal bairns’ health by making that long trip to see me.”

            “ _I had trustworthy companions, Your Majesty._ ”

            “I must say, Seto, you have such great companions. They were willing to risk protocol to call for me to help your human counterpart. I sure hope my visit here does not go in vain.”

            “ _I humbly apologize in advance,_ ” Seto looked down humbly and stepped aside to allow Maximillion Pegasus do his work.

            “In under no circumstances should I be disturbed in this process,” Maximillion Pegasus said as he had one hand hovering over Joey’s forehead. “It would be advisable if you all step aside for this.”

            Everyone nodded and moved a respectable distance away from Joey’s bed. After making sure that the surrounding was quiet and that everyone was far from him, he laid the hand onto Joey’s forehead and closed his eyes as he began to concentrate, delving deeper into Joey’s subconscious mind…

\--:--

            _“…seph? Joseph? Joseph Wheeler?”_

_Joey opened his eyes at the soft call of his name. He found himself lying on a bed of thorns as usual. The pain, the stabbing, the sheer sting of it all was the only way to make sure that he was alive, yet trapped in this void world where he would always punish himself for allowing himself to be taken by someone other than his beloved._

_“Joseph Wheeler? Can you hear me?”_

_“Who…Who are ya…?” Joey asked as he saw a man with long silver-lavender hair looking down at him. He seemed to only have one eye, for the other eye was made of gold, like an eye-patch the shape of an eye that covered all the way to his eyebrow. He noticed him staring at it and jerked his head so that his long bangs would cover it._

_“I am Maximillion Pegasus, the man responsible for all the Ethereal Clans of the Outer Beings, and the man responsible for your pregnant predicament.”_

_“Ah, so yer da head honcho behind da ritual. Pleasure tuh meet ya,” Joey smiled weakly. “Forgive me fer not salutin’ ya n all, bad back, ya know.”_

_“No offence taken, young mortal friend,” Maximillion Pegasus said as he sat in midair, hovering above Joey in his thorn garden. “You have a rather… interesting abode here. Although I must say in human terms, the ‘fashion statement’ here needs a little uplifting.”_

_“Ya dun need much stuff wen ya wanna torture yerself.”_

_“Yes, about that,” Maximillion Pegasus began to touch on the topic, “I’m here because of a personal request by someone.”_

_“I ain’t goin’ back if dat’s wat ya tryin’ tuh tell me.”_

_“And pray tell, why not?”_

_“Ya know wat happened. Ya da head honcho n all.”_

_“Yes, but I would like to hear it from your own lips.”_

_“I…was raped…” Joey said hesitantly. “Some guy named Majah sorta confessed tuh me while fuckin’ mah brains out n wants me tuh be his bitch. I told him I dinna wanna, n he was pissed n all, but I can’t stop feelin’ dirty n all dat shit. I feel guilty, so I’m ‘ere punishin’ mahself. Happy?”_

_“Funny. I don’t see a shred of dirt on you anywhere,” Maximillion Pegasus chided in a nonchalant way. “Aside from the fact that you’re bleeding from head to toe because of all those thorns on you.”_

_“Ya know exactly wat I mean. Dun play around wif me.”_

_Maximillion Pegasus noticed that whenever Joey spoke and got a little emotional or agitated, more thorn vines would slowly slither from the ground and wrap around Joey’s already bound body, making him wince as the thorns dug deeper into his skin, drawing blood. He could tell that the trauma of being raped had left him very emotionally scarred, and he could understand why he felt he was betraying his Whisperer mate._

_“You do know that it’s beyond tradition to fall in love with your Whisperer mate.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Yet you still love him.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Enough to allow yourself to be tortured like this everyday for the rest of your life?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Have you ever thought about your friends? Your family? They’re really worried about you.”_

_“At least they got their lovers to luv ‘em. They’re not dirty like I am right now.”_

_“And your child? What of them?”_

_“They got doctors tuh cut me open n git ‘em out. Imma fine wif dat.”_

_“And your Whisperer mate? Have you ever thought about him?”_

_“He’s…better of withou’ me.”_

_“What makes you so sure?” Maximillion Pegasus probed some more, folding his arms across his chest._

_“I was raped, fer cryin’ loud!” Joey snapped, the vines grew even more, not only all over his body, but all over the place as well, building itself into some sort of defensive fence around him. “I was taken by dat son of a bitch n freakin’ fucked like I was some ho! He wanted me tuh luv him instead of mah Seto! He wanted me tuh betray Seto! He made me a fuckin’ ho n made me betray Seto by fuckin’ me!_

_“How would ya feel if ya taken away from yer lover n git raped while ya carryin’ ya lover’s babies?! How would ya feel if ya bein’ touched ev’rywhere n licked in places only ya n ya lover r suppose tuh share togetha?! How would ya feel if ya bein’ tempted by some bastard n was actually drawn into a lil’ bit coz his deal wuz a once-in-a-lifetime deal?! How would ya feel if ya body canna stop feelin’ the dirty touches n the icky kisses as ya bin violated ova n ova again?! How would ya feel if ya insides wuz totally filled wif yer rapist’s cum?! How would ya feel wen ya wake up ev’ry mornin’ thinkin’ how dirty ya was n how yer cheatin’ pussy had bin screwed by someone else other than ‘im?! How would ya know?! Ya dunno shit bout me!”_

_Maximillion Pegasus could tell by the tone, the emotion and the amount of vines increasing that Joey was in a lot of pain, and was blaming a lot on himself. If he didn’t do something, soon he would be buried by the vines and shut out of his mind, and he would never get to speak with Joey again. It’s now or never._

_“And you believe that you are being self-righteous by allowing yourself to suffer like this?”_

_“What?” Joey was surprised at that question._

_“What makes you so certain that your friends would care whether you have been defiled or not? What makes you so certain that your friends are not looking out for your safety and judging you of your past experiences?” Maximillion Pegasus asked. The hesitation on Joey’s face and the slow but steady shrinking vines gave him the cue to continue, “Why would you assume that they would think of you any lesser than you are? For what purpose have they brought me here to speak to you if not out of concern for your wellbeing?”_

_“Well…I…I neva asked fer their pity…”_

_“But they wish to give it anyway, whether you ask of it or not. And what makes you so sure that your Whisperer mate had not forgiven you or had not put a single blame on you? Have you considered the trouble and effort it took for him to go all the way to where you were held captive to rescue you? Have you ever wondered why he is still by your side even though he knew you have been defiled by the Fallen Ethereal? Have you considered that?”_

_“B…But…I…”_

_“And have you ever considered what will your state do to the pups in you? Have you ever wondered what if the human doctors have performed an unsuccessful surgery, or whether because of your refusal to eat or drink or sleep it may cause harm to your pups? The pups you and your beloved Whisperer mate have created? Do you wish for the death of your pups as well because of your selfishness, especially when they are almost due any time soon?”_

_“No! No, I would neva let mah babies die! I would neva…”_

_“Then what are you doing here lying down on this bed of thorns wallow in self-pity and misery when your mate and your pups need you?”_

_“I…But…I’m dirty…I betrayed mah Seto’s luv…I dun deserve tuh…”_

_“It is not for you to choose one-sidedly whether or not you are worthy for someone. Although other people have no right to judge you, you, too, have no right to deny yourself some inkling of self-worth. What other people truly view you may surprise you.”_

_“I…I dunno…”_

_“It is your choice, my young mortal friend, whether or not you wish to release yourself from your own self-made prison and embrace whatever past, may it be dark and murky, or bright and shiny, and learn from it rather than grieve for it. Think wisely, Joseph Wheeler.”_

_Maximillion Pegasus’ blinding disappearance was the last thing he saw before he found himself staring back at all the vines that covered around him like a half-shell roof and the blood-red sky hovering above…_

\--:--

            Everyone waited eagerly for Maximillion Pegasus’ news as soon as the Ruler of the Outer Beings blinked his eyes open. Quietly removing his hand from Joey’s forehead, he turned to the awaiting crowd behind him.

            “He holds much contempt about himself. The prison he encased himself in is hard and painful, indicating how much self-loathing he had on himself for the rape incident he experienced in the Lair,” Maximillion Pegasus relayed whatever he deduced from Joey’s state of mind to the crowd. “He strongly believes that he would be judged by the people for his experience and wishes nothing more than to shoulder all the burden of his lustful sin and avoid the hatred you may harbour against him, especially you, Seto.”

            “ _I would never blame him for what happened!_ ” Seto exclaimed. “ _It’s not his fault! He is not the one to blame! It’s that bastard Fallen Ethereal’s fault! My Puppy was never in the wrong!_ ”

            “Good God, Your Majesty, we would never blame or judge him for what happened to him!” Ryou exclaimed as well, shocked to hear the Ruler’s words about Joey.

            “Yeah! Moreover, I blame myself for this! I should’ve seen that coming and saved him no matter what! I’m the one to blame!” Malik cried, his heart panged in pain at the thought Joey blaming himself over all this.

            “We are all to blame here! He can’t just think it’s all his fault and shoulder everything! If we had tried harder to stop that guy from taking him and Malik away…” Tristan couldn’t continue; he was too choked up about it.

            “You have to help him, Your Majesty! He can’t do this to himself!” Yugi was already in tears.

            “Please, Your Majesty,” Mr. Wheeler pleaded as he hugged his sobbing wife.

            “I have spoken to him, and I have tried the best I can to convince him that he was not in the wrong,” Maximillion Pegasus sighed as he draped his cape across his shoulders. “But I cannot force him to make a speedy decision. The mind is a very fragile matter. It will be up to him to decide. Good day, everyone. I wish the best.”

            With that, he left the ICU, his personal bodyguards who were waiting for him outside the room following behind his wake. As usual, Seto sat beside Joey and held his hand while the rest left the ICU to let them be alone together, ignoring the questions showered at them by the curious doctors, midwives and young ‘mothers’ and their parents. As Yugi reached to close the door of the ICU, Seto purred and kissed Joey’s forehead.

            “ _I’ll be here waiting for you, no matter how long it takes for you._ ”


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maximillion Pegasus had done his best to convince Joey that whatever happened to him at The Lair was not his fault. Now it is up to Joey to decide whether he believes it himself or not. Warning: Graphic birth ahead

            “Wh…Where am I…?”

            Joey opened his eyes slowly. Instead of the usual thorn vine garden, he was greeted with the sight of white ceiling tiles and the slow and steady beeps of the heartbeat machine. A few sun rays managed to seep into the cracks of the half-closed drapes from the window that looked out to the city and lined itself throughout the room and against the other side of the wall. The window itself was fogging up because of the cold snow and muffled sounds of people passing by outside the room on both sides. The ticking of the digital clock on the wall showed that it was around 3pm on a cold December afternoon.

            “H…How long was I out…?” Joey whispered, his voice a little hoarse because of long-term disuse. He turned his stiff neck a little to look around and noticed that he was in a white room that stank of disinfectant. It didn’t take long for him to remember that he was in a hospital. Scenes of his encounter with Maximillion Pegasus and his days in the Lair came running back into his memory bank as his train of thoughts slowly but steadily unhinged from the rusts of time and turned, working its way through the conscious world. He touched his protruding belly and felt something rather unsettling, but he just smiled and ignored the feeling, thinking it being probably hunger or his babies moving.

            As his mind cleared little by little, he turned to the other side to see Seto’s head propped on his arms as he slept while one hand was holding possessively on his. He began remembering the words Maximillion Pegasus spoke to him as he studied Seto’s features. He looked slightly pale and thin, and his hair was a little messy, possibly bed hair or something. There were dark rings under his eyes and Joey could tell he never really had a good night’s sleep—or for his case, a good day’s sleep—and his breathing was slightly ragged, like he had just finished crying. He realized how true Maximillion Pegasus’ words rang in his mind about Seto truly caring about him and not blaming him a single bit. He knew then that if Seto had hated him for what he had done, he wouldn’t be here starving and staying up for him and being by his side. The feeling of Majah’s touches, kisses and his offending member inside him still lingered, but somehow after his talk with Maximillion Pegasus, it didn’t seem so bad anymore. He knew he could handle it if he had Seto by his side, and realized how foolish and selfish he was for letting himself be so childish. Tears fell from Joey’s honey-brown eyes as he reached his other free hand that was touching his pregnant belly over to Seto and stroke his cheek softly.

            “I’m sorry, Dragon…I didn’t know…I’m sorry…”

            The feeling of Joey’s soft stroke on his cheek slowly made Seto stir from his sleep. He blinked his eyes open and rubbed the sleep off them before looking up to see a sobbing Joey stroking his face tearfully. He immediately shot up and hugged him, purring and whining as tears fell out of his ice-blue eyes uncontrollably.

            “ _Puppy…! Puppy…!_ ” Seto whimpered, kissing Joey’s cheeks over and over again as his own salty tears smeared all over him.

            “Oh God, Dragon. I’m so sorry…” Joey sobbed, hugging Seto back tightly. “I didn’t know you’d care…I thought…I thought you’d hate me…”

            “ _No…No hate…_ ”

            “I feel so dirty…Ya still luv me even wen Imma dirty ho?”

            “ _Shh_ _…No say that…Not dirty…_ ”

            “It…It hurts…”

            “ _I’m…here…_ ”

            “No, I mean…It hurts, my stomach…”

            Seto let Joey go and noticed that Joey was wincing in pain, his hand clutching his bulging abdomen tightly. A wet spot on the bed indicated that his water had broken. He quickly reached over to press the alarm button to call for medical help. A midwife soon barged in, gasped and hollered for backup, shouting that Joey’s has awakened and has gone into labour. Word began to spread fast of Joey’s awakening as the other young ‘mothers’ who have been following up along with Joey’s gang passed the word-of-mouth about the news, which soon reached to the four’s ears. They hurriedly followed behind the rest to gather around the ICU to see the doctor and midwives rushing in with the necessary equipment to help with Joey’s labour. One of the midwife assistants went to the waiting lounge where Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler spent their nights there to break the news and they, too, went into the ICU to accompany their son before the doctor closed and locked the door and pulled the drapes from all prying eyes.

            “Oh my little Joey, I was so worried,” Mrs. Wheeler hugged her son in relief. “You gave us a scare there.”

            “Imma so sorry, Ma, Pa, Imma so sorry,” Joey sobbed, yelping as a contraction hit him hard.

            “It’s alright now, son. Just hang in there,” Mr. Wheeler rubbed his son’s back. “The midwives are gonna help you now.”

            “Ow, ow, ow! Da head! I can feel da head!” Joey screamed as he held onto Seto tight. Seto hugged him back and hushed him, purring at his ear to soothe him and help ride out the pain.

            “Looks like the baby’s good to go,” the doctor said as he pushed the blanket up to Joey’s thighs and spread his legs. He inspected for a moment and announced, “Yup, he’s fully dilated now and I can feel the head coming. OK, Joseph, on the count of three: one…two…push!”

            Joey sat up with the help of Seto and let out a strangled yell as he pushed with all his might. Voices of coaching from both the doctors and the midwives and his parents echoed throughout the room, all of them helping Joey to keep his strengths up and help him with the delivery. Even those outside the ICU were either biting their nails or praying or silently cheering them on as they gave their moral support to Joey who was suffering the wrath of childbirth inside.

            “Almost there,” the doctor, who was in charge of catching the birth, coached. “It’s almost out.”

            “Shit, fuckin’ shit! Agh, it hurts!!!” Joey cried, gripping Seto’s hand to the point of almost crushing it.

            “Just a little bit more, Joseph.”

            Joseph screamed in pain as he pushed the baby out for the doctor to catch. Tiny squalls of the baby’s first breath of air rang throughout the room and everyone, including those outside waiting, breathed a sigh of relief. By then, Lord Seth had heard the news and, along with Lord Katz, stood outside the ICU waiting for the delivery to be over.

            “It’s a little pure boy,” the doctor announced as he cut the umbilical cord and passed it to a nearby midwife to be passed to Joey and Seto. Joey, with trembling hands, reached over to take his little baby.

            “Oh, he’s beautiful, Dragon, look,” Joey whispered as he showed the baby to his beloved. Seto purred and nuzzled his nose against the baby’s, smiling proudly and fatherly at the sight of the tiny little treasure he and Joey created.

            “ _Dragon…_ ” Seto whispered back as he pointed at the baby. Joey realized that he was naming him.

            “Yeah, Dragon. I like dat name…Ow!”

            Before he could savour the moment, another contraction hit him, indicating that his other twin baby wanted out. The midwife took the baby from his arms and passed it to another midwife who, in turn, washed and cleaned the baby in a tub of warm water. Joey whined, reaching his hand out to ask for the baby back.

            “It’s OK, sweetie,” Mrs. Wheeler said, holding him back. “They’re just gonna clean him up. You got another one you need to take care of.”

            “It hurts…I canna do it anymore…I’m too tired…” Joey panted, wincing at the incoming contraction.

            “Yes, you can, son. A Wheeler never gives up,” Mr. Wheeler coaxed.

            “No…No, I can’t…”

            Seto took Joey’s chin and planted a deep kiss on his lips. Neither of them moved. Their lips just pressed together, enjoying each other’s warmth as Seto tried to convey in his own way his concern, love and faith he had on Joey, urging him to be strong. Joey returned his kiss by pressing against him even harder while sobbing. After a couple of minutes being like this, the need for air and the contraction within Joey broke them apart. After coaching Joey into breathing, the doctor quickly told him to push, in which he did.

            “That’s very good, Joseph, keep going.”

            Joey’s hospital gown was getting drenched with his sweat as he pushed as hard as he could.

            “That’s it, son. You can do it.”

            Joey practically ripped off his father’s sleeve, but neither cared about that.

            “Come on, sweetie, just a bit more.”

            Blood, blood and more blood began to seep through the bed sheets and Joey’s head was beginning to spin.

            “You’re almost there, Joseph. Keep it up.”

            “God, it hurts…!!!” Joey cried, his tears flowing out of his eyes like rain.

            “Just a bit more, Joseph,” a midwife coached. “Just give it a big hard push.”

            Joey took a deep breath and pushed.

            “Almost there. Push harder, Joseph.”

            Seto winced as Joey gripped his hand harder than before, but he wouldn’t let go, now that he had him.

            “Harder, Joseph, harder!”

            “Wat da fuck do ya think Imma doin’?!”

            Everyone, including the ones outside winced at Joey’s harsh yell. The four tried to stifle a laugh.

            “One more push, I promise, just one more push.”

            Joey panted, took another deep breath and let out a strangled scream for the umpteenth time as he pushed down with all his might. Finally a loud, strong cry was heard as the doctor helped the newborn baby he caught to breath. His older brother joined in the crying as soon as he heard his younger brother cried and soon, two little squalling winged infants were in Joey and Seto’s arms.

            “Congratulations, Joseph. You have a pair: a pure boy and a herm boy. Good work.”

            “Good work, son!” Mr. Wheeler congratulated, patting his son’s back. Mrs. Wheeler was at loss of words as she cried tears of joy looking her son carrying her little Halfling grandchildren.

            “They’re perfect, luv. They look just like ya,” Joey spoke, his throat a little sore from screaming for so long. “What do you think, Seto?”

            Seto nodded in agreement.

            “What do you want to name the other…”

            Before Joey could finished, the atmosphere became hushed as Lord Seth entered the room. Joey’s heart skipped a beat. This was it: Lord Seth was going to use his nose to tell whether his twins are Whisperer-dominant or not. Quietly with the cold aura lingering about him, he walked towards Joey who was carrying one of the twins and lowered his head, sniffing silently. Then he leaned forward to Seto who was carrying the other twin and sniffed silently again. He straightened up and gave the knowing look to Lord Katz. Lord Katz understood that gesture and came close to Joey.

            “Well? Are my grandkids Whisperer- or Human-dominant?” Mr. Wheeler asked.

            “ _I’m sorry to say that they are Whisperer-dominant,_ ” Lord Katz replied in Human Tongue. “ _You will have to be part of the Sending Off ceremony, I’m afraid. If you please…_ ”

            Lord Katz gestured Joey to pass the twin he was carrying to Seto. Joey’s swollen eyes welled up again as he reluctantly passed the baby to Seto. As Seto regretfully took the baby, Joey begged, “Please, luv, let me at least know their names.”

            Seto nodded and jerked his head to one twin, “ _Dragon,_ ” then jerked his head to the other, “ _Naga._ ”

            “Dragon, Naga,” Joey repeated. “They sound perfect. Take good care of ‘em, will ya?”

            Seto nodded in promise and gave a deep passionate kiss to Joey before leaving together with Lord Katz and Lord Seth to join his fellow Whisperers who were already waiting in a visitor’s lounge with their Whisperer-dominant pups, leaving Joey sobbing in Mrs. Wheeler’s arms and Mr. Wheeler shaking his head in dismay. As they passed by the waiting crowd outside, the four could tell from Seto’s facial expression that Lord Seth had yet again announced another Whisperer-dominant child. They quickly went in and had a group hug, comforting the grieving Joey.

            “ _Are you happy now?_ ” Seto growled under his throat. “ _I have honoured the tradition, stayed by my mate’s side until he gave birth, and you have broken his heart by announcing that he will never see our pups again. Are you happy now, brother?_ ”

            “ _Brother dearest, please…_ ” Lord Katz pleaded, not wanting the twin brothers to start another fight. Lord Seth turned sharply towards Seto and glared at him.

            “ _Is that a challenge? Even now you defy me. I have yet to reprimand you for that very unrespectable and irresponsible act you allowed happen, making His Majesty come all the way for such trivial matters as your unworthy mate! I should’ve known you have not learnt your lesson! Do you wish to be issued the Forbidden Blue’s curse again?!_ ”

            “ _Go ahead! I’d rather die than be separated from my Puppy ever again! My Puppy had been through so much, now he has to suffer another blow of sadness again. If this is the tradition you take such great pride in, I wish I was never part of this._ ”

            The twins shot a long 5 minute death glare at each other, with Lord Katz worrying in the background. Finally, Lord Seth released his death glare hold and turned around, speaking with his back facing his brother, “ _Go to the visitors’ lounge and join your fellow brethren. The Sending Off ceremony starts tomorrow at midnight._ ”

            And that, without giving Seto a chance to argue, he gave one last icy look at Seto before he left the hospital without a word, with Lord Katz tailing behind him, leaving Seto to his own thoughts.

\--:--

            “This is not fair!”

            Seto banged at the door of the lounge, fiddling with the knob to see if it would budge. So far, no luck. As soon as Seto entered the room, someone closed the door behind him and locked him from the outside, and Seto found himself facing a whole group of new Whisperer fathers sitting in the room looking rather forlorn. His fellow friends didn’t look too cheerful either.

            “It’s no use, brother,” Yami said as he hushed Destiny and Hope. “Ever since Lord Seth announced that the ceremony would be held at midnight tomorrow, we have been, what humans would call, ‘sequestered’. We are isolated from our mates with one of our Royal Guards standing out there guarding the door, letting no one in or out except to let the human midwives in to feed our babies with milk formula or to issue us their daily supply of diapers.”

            “Personally, I think Lord Seth is trying to keep us away from our mates,” Bakura commented. “I don’t believe for a single moment that this ‘sequestering’ is meant for all of us.”

            “Curse it!” Seto banged at the door one last time before giving it a kick and stomped to a nearby sofa to sit. “Seth is going to pay dearly for this! I am definitely going to give him a telling off after the ceremony!”

            “Please, brother,” Duke said as he patted Snow’s back to help him burp. “It’s over now. Our jobs are done. There’s nothing we do about it anymore. Just leave it be. Don’t make it worse as it is.”

            “And allow our mates to die of misery and heartbreak?!” Marik growled. “Has Lord Seth not caused enough damage already?! First he punished us for loving our mates, now he’s punishing our mates for loving and carrying our pups to term by separating us like this! How could he have the heart to do this?!”

            “After the ceremony, we will never see our mates again. Not even a single parental visitation is allowed…” Yami trembled as he leaned against the wall before slumping down. “H…How…How would I survive without my Light…?”

            “My Soldier was so devastated when Lord Seth announced Snow to be Whisperer-dominant,” Duke said as he cradled Snow. “I fear he would do worse to himself than just cry a river.”

            “Mine too,” Marik said, his tone sounding a little worried. “Without me to give him ‘special treatment’, I fear he would do himself much more damage than I can give him.”

            “My Princess is too fragile to be separated from either of us,” Bakura spoke with a quiver in his voice, “He tried so hard to hide his sadness and pain from me when Lord Seth made the announcement, but I call tell that he is not as strong as he looks.”

            Seto remained quiet, listening to his fellow brethren’s woes about their mates’ possible fate after the ceremony. He didn’t want to think of it, neither did he dare to think of it, but he knew deep down in his heart, the possibility of his little Puppy ending up the way his fellow brethren feared their mates may end up as well was no further from the truth.

\--:--

            “Hey, Jo. You OK?” Tristan asked, tapping Joey, who was looking out at the falling snow outside, on the shoulder.

            “Yeah, sorta,” Joey replied half-heartedly.

            “Phew! For a moment there I thought you went back to the zombie’s state,” Yugi said as he wiped away an imaginary sweat.

            “I ain’t dat dumb,” Joey chuckled and punched playfully at Yugi’s chin.

            Joey and the gang were in Joey’s new hospital room chatting away while waiting for the hour of the ceremony to arrive. After being diagnosed by both the doctor and the psychiatrist, Joey was deemed fit to be transferred to a regular room and free from possible therapy or counseling. The four would come often into Joey’s room to chitchat with him and reminiscence about the days they were pregnant and all their misadventures while helping Joey to cope by talking and discussing about his experience and how he can handle it without being overreacting and over-dwelling on it. The midwives told them that after the ceremony, they will have to undergo the one-month confinement period like all previous ‘mothers’ did after childbirth to prevent their bodies from any possible future complications and to help them heal up both in physical and in strength, especially those who had to undergo Caesarean due to birth complications.

            They were issued a steady diet of chicken cooked in rice wine and sugar cane juice and were told to take short walks daily even if it’s just around the hospital grounds or in the recreational area behind the hospital. And everyday the midwives will pay a visit to the ‘mothers’ to be pumped of their breast milk to feed the babies currently looked after by the Whisperers in the visitors’ lounge, but so far they were still not allowed visitations or even allowed to go to the floor where the visitors’ lounge was and gave no explanation as to why the isolation. But Joey and the gang can pretty much guess what’s going on.

            “I miss my triplets,” Ryou sighed as he touched his now flat tummy. “I’m so used to carrying them and now that they’re not in me, I just feel…like something’s missing.”

            “Why don’t they let us see our baby?” Tristan grumbled. “It’s just not fair! We won’t get to see them anymore and they don’t let us spend some last moments together!”

            “I heard it’s because they wanted to remove the attachments between ‘mother’ and child so that they won’t be any trouble during the ceremony,” Yugi explained. “They don’t want us to make a fuss and cry and get all hysterical when our mates leave off with our kids.”

            “I guess it’s…understandable,” Malik admitted. “If I have my Night ripped off from me one more time, I swear I’ll go into a crazy murdering rampage, tradition or no tradition.”

            “Still, I’d feel happy if I could just hold Dragon and Naga, just this once,” Joey lamented. “I miss them so much.”

            “We should’ve admitted to each other about our feelings for our mates sooner,” Malik sighed. “Then we could’ve prayed hard together at the temple and maybe, just maybe, they’ll grant our wish and let us have Human-dominant babies.”

            “Unfortunately, statistic-wise,” Ryou said, his mind going into studious mode, “throughout the generations they have been giving birth to more Whisperer-dominant babies than Human-dominant babies. There has never been a statistic offset since the beginning of the ritual, there’s no reason why it should…”

            “Would you cut it out?!” Yugi suddenly snapped, shocking everyone. “Who gives a fucking damn about the statistics?! All we want is someone that can be by our side so that we won’t have to spend the rest of our lives being so fucking lonely missing our mates and wondering how they and our babies are doing! I understand that we will never see Yami or Seto or Bakura or the others that we love, but at least we have someone to remember them by! Is that so much to ask?! God, how much more hurt they can do?!”

            Yugi soon fell on his knees, broke down and cried, while the others watched in shock. They have never seen Yugi bursting out like this before, not even when they had disputes between themselves and argued. He had always been the pacifier and the peacemaker of the group and never really raised his voice, unless it was out of fear or shock. But deep down, they knew he spoke the truth. Every last word he said was exactly how they felt, and it must’ve hard for Yugi who had been the goody-goody guy in the group to hold it all in.

            “C’mere, Yug,” Joey knelt down in front of Yugi and hugged him close to his chest. “Well, s’bout time ya bin honest tuh yerself. It’s alrigh’. Let it all out.”

            Yugi bawled and buried his face in Joey’s chest, crying like he hasn’t been crying for ages. The rest of the gang joined in a group hug and let Yugi pour out his sadness and frustrations in their arms.

            “I want my Destiny! I want my Hope! I want my Yami! I want them back! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!!!”

            “It’s OK, Yug, we’re here for you,” Tristan said, letting his tears fall free, followed by the others.

            As they held and comforted each other, a silent figure slinked away quietly from Joey’s door, avoiding from being seen.

\--:--

            The clock chimed twelve, indicating that it was already midnight. Lord Katz came up to the Whisperer guarding the visitors’ lounge door and nodded his head. The Whisperer bowed before unlocking the door and announcing to all the new Whisperer fathers inside that it was time for the ceremony.

            “ _Alright, brothers._ _It’s time. You may leave now to the front of the building,_ ” the guard said, “ _except you, milords._ ”

            “ _What?_ ” Seto and his brethren were surprised to be stopped in their tracks by the guard. “ _Brother-in-law, what is the meaning of this?_ ”

            “ _You will see soon,_ ” Lord Katz smiled. “ _Please come along with me._ ”

            Seto and his brethren were confused as to why the sudden change of atmosphere, but they knew better than to go against the second-in-command of the royal throne. As they gave one last look at the Whisperers following behind the guard towards the direction of the hospital entrance, they followed Lord Katz up to the floor where the staff of the hospital usually have their important, sometimes secret, meetings at the second top floor. Inside, they were shocked to see their human beloved cornered by Lord Seth and a few Ethereals Royal Advisors from the royal office of Maximillion Pegasus.

            “ _Brother! What are you doing to my Puppy?!_ ” Seto demanded, but was held back by Lord Seth’s cold glare.

            “ _Nothing more than I would allow myself to do, if that’s what you are wondering about, my blood brother,_ ” Lord Seth replied, standing between Seto and his brethren and Joey and his gang. “ _Honestly, the things I do for you ever since you were a pup._ ”

            “ _What does that suppose to mean?_ ”

            “Wat da heck are dey talking tuh each other?” Joey whispered to his friends, earning a group shrug by them as a reply. They couldn’t understand any of this sudden happenings either. One moment they were all prepared to meet their Whisperer mates for the Sending Off ceremony as soon as they heard the clock chimed twelve, the next moment the Royal Advisors came into their room unannounced, ignoring and putting their questioning parents into a deep slumber and ushered them up to the staff’s meeting room and come face to face with Lord Seth, the Lord of the Whisperers of the Night Clan. It all happened so fast that they didn’t even have time to react, and being left in the dark like this was not exactly helping.

            “ _What do you want, brother? Another swearing to you that we will stay away from our human mates? I am not going to do it. I’m sick and tired of following your…_ ”

            “ _Silence, Seto Kaiba!_ ” Lord Seth growled suddenly, making everyone jump. Seto stopped talking. Whenever Lord Seth called him by his full name (the surname was their mother’s name), he knew he meant business, and that he knew better than to interrupt anything his twin brother wished to say.

            “ _Now that I have your attention,_ ” Lord Seth continued, “ _I was about to propose something to your human counterparts, which is something that has never been done in the history of Ethereal or humankind. This is the first and last time I will ever do such a big favour for you, and no matter how much I despise going against protocol, I…_ ” he hesitated before looking away, his face looking slightly pink on the cheeks, “ _I have to admit…I do not wish your grief, and it’s the least a blood brother could do for his younger blood brother after all these centuries of hardship._

“ _I assume you all are able to understand Human Tongue audibly, so I shall switch my language for your human counterparts’ sake,_ ” Lord Seth said before taking a deep breath and faced Joey and the gang, speaking in Human Tongue, “ _Forgive the sudden surprise, but I do not wish to have any other prying eyes or ears while I do this._ ”

            “Do what?” Yugi asked. “What exactly are we doing here? Why aren’t we part of the Sending Off ceremony?”

            “Yeah,” Tristan butted in. “Aren’t we supposed to be at the hospital entrance watching our mates leave with our babies?”

            “ _Well, circumstance that arose has changed the outcome,_ ” Lord Seth replied. “ _But first, let me ask you all one thing: How much do you love my brother and his brethren?_ ”

            “Imma willin’ tuh sell mah soul tuh da Devil ‘imself if I coulda just hav a minute wif mah Seto,” Joey replied wholeheartedly.

            “I’ll climb the highest mountain and swim the deepest sea if it means being able to be with Duke Devlin forever,” Tristan replied.

            “I’m willing to die for him to save my Master Marik’s life,” Malik replied, his hand on the choker around his neck.

            “I’ll fall from heaven and rise from hell just to find my Yami,” Yugi replied, his eyes never leaving his beloved.

            “I’d do everything my friends had said they would do for their mates and more just to even catch a glimpse of my Bakura,” Ryou replied despite the blush on his face.

            Lord Seth glanced at his royal mate and, after earning a nod from him, turned back to Joey and the gang and said, “ _What I am about to say is something no one alive or dead has ever done before. Neither Ethereal nor human has ever attempted to do this. It may actually alter the very fabric of your mortal lives forever. So, as you human say in terms of striking deals, ‘take it or leave it’._ ”

            As Lord Seth continued, outside, the snow fell on every human standing at ground level and on every crevice of earth as they watched the Whisperers flew off from their stand towards the direction of the Yami Forest, their flapping wings echoed into the night.


	26. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year had passed since the last chapter. What has become of Joey and the gang and their mates as well as their babies? Tune in to this epilogue to find out

            “Are you sure that they would be here tonight?”

            “Of course I’m sure! I got the information personally from Tea herself!”

            “Did anyone remember to bring the napkins?”

            “I got ‘em!”

            The Wheelers, the Taylor-s, the Ishtar-s, the Bakura-s and Mr. Solomon Mutou were all gathered at Yami Forest, clattering and chattering about as they tried to set up the picnic, laying out the food, drinks and utensils on the huge widespread picnic cloth while Tea Gardner was on her way in her expensive steel blue SUV to meet up with the lot. The moon was full and high in the skies and the stars illuminated the night sky, as if knowing that they were preparing for the big event and helping them by giving them whatever light they could muster for them to see, although the camping lights they set about them were good enough to help them visually. A few minutes later, Tea’s SUV drove past a distance and parked her car along with the others’ and got off hurriedly with a big thermos pail.

            “Hey, guys! Am I too late? Are they here yet?” Tea yelled as she came close to the group.

            “Nope, you’re early,” ‘Mrs.’ Taylor replied. “They’re not here yet.”

            “Thank goodness,” Tea sighed in relief. “I hope you guys like 1982 Sauvignon.”

            “Ah, liquid of the Gods, they’d say,” Mr. Ishtar said as he took the pail from her and inspected the wine bottle.

            “It’s still hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since they left,” Solomon lamented as he helped Mrs. Wheeler to lay out the main course.

            “Yeah,” Mr. Bakura agreed. “And it’s hard to believe how much our grandkids have grown.”

            “I was shocked when I woke up from this weird dreamless sleep and hearing Joey said he had come to say his goodbyes,” Mr. Wheeler grinned. “I almost thought he was going to do something stupid, but I guess my son truly loves his ol’ Seto so much to make this decision.”

            “I was a little upset at first,” Solomon agreed. “I thought Yugi was making a rather brash decision, forsaking everything to go live a life that was absolutely foreign to him, but when Lord Seth performed the transformation and Yugi did nothing to hold back, I knew I couldn’t keep Yugi forever.”

            “I’ve always thought of Lord Seth to be a no-nonsense, no fun kind of guy,” ‘Mrs’. Bakura said. “I didn’t think he’d be the one to actually suggest this sort of deal. But I have to admit, unable to be part of our kids’ future lives is definitely a big setback.”

            “At least we were allowed a monthly visitation,” ‘Mrs.’ Taylor said, “even if it is only for a day.”

            “I guess you’re right on that. I didn’t take Ryou to be such a romantic. He’s always been the goody-good boy and the studious little geek in the family. I guess kids these days are just full of surprises.”

            “ _I_ thought my son never had a soft side,” Mr. Ishtar laughed. “My ‘wife’ and I were constantly worrying our heads off over whether or not is he ever going to marry a decent man with such ego and ferocity of his. I swear he got that from his Egyptian warrior ancestors. To think that he would actually succumb to that Whisperer lad with such a submissive level, it’s hard to decide whether we should be relieved or not about this new him.”

            “I was also surprised to receive the news about them joining the Night Clan as well,” Tea said. “You should’ve seen my face when those middle men quads Fortuno, Charlie and Bickford, and Snipes announced to me that Joey, Yugi, Malik, Tristan and Ryou are no longer considered a citizen of Domino Island and requested that I erase them from the citizenship registrar records. Miho said I looked like someone just died or something, and seriously, I thought that they’ve done something really crazy and got themselves banished or something!”

            “People have been hounding me with questions about my kid’s whereabouts after they didn’t see him for more than two weeks after the confinement period,” ‘Mrs.’ Bakura said, “and my daughter had been curious, but it didn’t take long for her to understand without having me explaining where her twin brother has gone, and she was fine with it. She did us a great favour to spin some sort of romantic white lie to those who asked about my Ryou meeting a prince charming while he was emotionally healing and said that this ‘prince charming’ had swept him off his feet and brought him to his hometown to marry. I swear the fairy tales I used to read to her when she was a child definitely come in handy.”

            “Where is your daughter anyway?” Solomon asked. “She’s not joining us this month?”

            “Got her sights set on the new kid in town. She’d rather date him than see her brother, saying that she sees his brother every month anyway. She sure is a free-spirited girl.”

            “So what did you explain your son’s disappearance to your friends, Rishid?”

            “I had to tell my friends my son decided to go on a self-discovery pilgrimage to help cope with the loss of his son,” ‘Mrs.’ Ishtar replied. “During the one month confinement, they understood that Malik did not want visitors, but, like Hector’s situation, I had to tell them something after everyone noticed that he stopped going to school. They were sympathetic when I mentioned Malik was devastated when his son was announced Whisperer-dominant and didn’t ask any further. Well, technically, we weren’t lying, coz Malik did look like he wanted to just jump off the building and die. What did you tell your friends, Solomon?”

            “Oh, I didn’t tell them anything,” Solomon replied. “It was Tea who helped me spin the tale, although her boss and the rest of the girls in the department—Mai included—knew the truth. I just confirmed whatever she said after she gave me the heads-up.”

            “Well, what _did_ you tell them, Tea?” Mr. Taylor was curious.

            “I told them that after the pregnancy and the birth, Yugi’s powers he had inherited from his exorcist parents finally came into full bloom and decided to pursue his late parents’ career,” Tea said. “And I told them he arranged with me to send him on private exorcism tutelage in a remote third-world country. No one was the wiser. Besides, no one doubts an Immortal, well, not much anyway. What about you, Bobby?”

            “Pretty simple, actually,” Mr. Taylor replied. “Since my little Tristy is a crazy adrenaline jock junkie, everyone was not surprised that told them that he decided to quit school to join the athletic field and pursue a career as a professional athlete, although they were rather surprised that he would leave at such short notice. I even told them that he went off to seek some of the most seasoned retired athletes to train him and said that he wished to return home a champion and refused to tell us where he would be undergoing his training. Many of his jock underlings were rather sad to hear him go though, for they would never find anyone else capable in sports like him. I guess that’s something I can be proud of.”

            “But he still couldn’t get over his love for cuddly things,” ‘Mrs.’ Taylor chuckled heartily. “On the day he left, he insisted I go back home to get him his favourite frog plushie and his favourite kitten Puddles with him. No matter how that Duke fellow tried to coax him out of it, he wouldn’t listen, and he wouldn’t leave without them even though Lord Seth told him to grow out of those things. You can imagine how fast and how much speed limit I broke just to drive home to get them and come back to the hospital again.”

            “Glad my son doesn’t have any annoying attachments like yours,” Mr. Wheeler chuckled, “although I _did_ discover his hidden stash of porn hidden up in the ceiling tiles.”

            “I heard from everyone that your son decided to transfer to an elite school in Romania to pursue a career in business and become a CEO of the gaming industry,” Mr. Ishtar said. “Did you really tell that crazy tale to everyone?”

            “Actually it was my idea, Ted, not Al’s,” Mrs. Wheeler raised her hand and grinned sheepishly. “I’ve always seen my Joey being exceptionally talented in games. Why, remember that Chinese kid Feng Long who challenged Joey into an arcade game duel when Joey was only 9? He practically rocked the socks off him with an almost perfect score and won the 1,000 dollar cash prize, and that kid was about twice his age and had been known to be the games prodigy in his hometown.”

            “Oh yeah,” Tea grinned, remembering the day he decided to treat his friends to a lavish teppanyaki dinner after the duel. “We definitely remember that, Linda.”

            “Usually it’s the closer friends that took a rather hard blow of their disappearance,” Mr Bakura said as he lit the final lamp and replaced the glass cover back on before putting it beside another lamp on the grass. “We do miss them from time to time, but other than that, life seemed to go on normally. Everyone else seemed to be OK with them gone.”

            “You don’t say,” Solomon sighed. “I had to handle Yugi’s not-so-secret admirers, demanding where I ‘hid’ Yugi and crying and begging me to tell them his true whereabouts so that they could go there and look for him. Kids these days. Yugi doesn’t even realize how attractive he is to his fellow human men.”

            “But then he wouldn’t have met up with the love of his life now, would he?” Tea smiled warmly at the old grandfather.

            “Now that is the best I’ve heard all day, Tea dear.”

            As they put the finishing touches to their picnic dinner, they would occasionally look around to detect any presence, may it be the arrival of their VIP guests or unwanted prying eyes. The last thing they’d want happen would be some random people finding about their monthly night escapades. They could do without having to create any hubbub and unwanted attention in the island.

            “Our kids seemed to be very at ease with their new physical looks now, and their fluency in Whisperer language astounds me every time I hear him speak with their mates and kids,” Mr. Ishtar said in pride, reminiscing the day he and his ‘wife’ first saw the changes in him as if it were yesterday.

            “I assume you, Bobby and Al have received the news I got from the human middle men,” Tea noted, earning a happy nod from Mr. Ishtar in reply.

            “Oh, what news? Pray tell,” ‘Mrs.’ Bakura was interested.

            “I thought I told you,” ‘Mrs.’ Ishtar replied. “We’re going to be grandparents again. Malik, Tristan and Joey are pregnant again. Malik would be expecting twins, and Tristan and Joey a baby each. It is not known of their gender or dominance, though.”

            “Well, that’s fantastic!” Mr. Bakura exclaimed and clapped Mr. Wheeler on the back. “Congratulations, Al, Linda!”

            “I do hope it’s Human-dominant this time,” Mrs. Wheeler said hopefully. “It’s nice to have a baby around the house again.”

            “True, but then it’s still our kids’ decision whether to let us look after them or not,” ‘Mrs.’ Taylor agreed. “After all, they are the parents.”

            “Shush!” Tea hushed everyone, drawing their attention. “I think I hear them coming!”

            As everyone quiet down, they could hear the ever familiar slight muffled rumbling noise and sparks of static they anticipated every month of the visitation day. Everyone crowded to the spot where the usual vortex supposed to appear and waited impatiently. The first people who jumped out of the vortex were, of course, their little grand-pups. All of them tottered or crawled towards their grandparents, calling them in baby-talk.

            “Oh, goodness! My, my, how you have grown, kids!”

            The next people to come out soon followed. First, out stepped Ryou Bakura and Bakura hand in hand, followed by Duke Devlin and Tristan Taylor, after that Yugi Mutou and Yami Atem, then Malik Ishtar and Marik, and finally Joseph “Joey” Wheeler with Seto Kaiba at his wake before Seto closed the vortex with his Millennium Rod. They all look the same as they were since the day they left Domino Island and their human lives for good, but the only difference was that Joey and the gang were wearing what female Whisperers wore back when they existed and they were sporting huge bat-like wings that spread as wide as a Halfling like Duke Devlin would, and when they spoke, it came out either silky or husky, depending on the person.

            “ _Hey, Ma._ _Hey, Pa,_ ” Joey said as he came and hugged his parents. “ _How’s life treatin’ ya?_ ”

            “Lovely, sweetie. Just lovely, now that you’re here,” Mrs. Wheeler reciprocated. “How’s the baby doing?”

            “ _Fine,_ ” Joey smiled as he unveiled the robe to show his slightly protruding tummy. “ _Imma_ _‘bout 3 months along now, but I dinna think I’d git knocked up again so soon._ ”

            “You and your articulation, son,” Mr. Wheeler sighed in defeat. “Even as a Whisperer, you still speak worse than your Grandpa.”

            “ _Am not!_ ”

            “ _Puppy dear,_ ” Seto said as he approached Joey with an arm around his waist. “ _You don’t seem to be able to get by without at least having to clash tongues with your father once, do you?_ ”

            “ _But he started it,_ ” Joey whined in Whisperer Tongue to his beloved.

            “ _Remember what the Royal Medics say about your hyper emotions, Puppy dear._ ”

            “ _Yes, luv._ _I dinna forget._ ”

            “So, son,” Mr. Taylor said as he came to Tristan. “Looking a little pudgy, I see?”

            “ _Dad!_ _I am not fat!_ ” Tristan protested as he punched his father’s shoulder softly. “ _I’m only 3 months along!_ ”

            “Keeping you fairly awake now, didn’t he, Duke?” ‘Mrs.’ Taylor asked slyly as he noticed the dark rings under his Halfling son-in-law’s eyes.

            “ _He is rather ‘frivolous’ at times, Father, not that I really mind,_ ” Duke grinned, earning a death glare from a very blushing red Tristan.

            “Look what I’ve got for all of you,” Solomon said as he took out a huge pouch and opened it for all the pups to see. Their eyes sparkled at the sight of the content. “It’s your favourite jellybeans!”

            Snow, Destiny, Hope, Night, Dragon, Naga, Winchester, Tenenbaum and Shuu cooed in unison as they reached their hand into the pouch to take their share of jellybeans and giggled as they compared colours with each other.

            “ _Don’t eat too much, children,_ ” Yugi said as he picked Destiny while Yami picked Hope up. “ _You don’t want to spoil your dinner,_ ” Yugi then spoke humorously in Human Tongue, “ _I hope Tea hasn’t worked you to death._ ”

            “Oh, don’t you worry your socks off, Yugi,” Solomon chuckled. “I’m as strong as an ox!”

            “And I did not work your grandpa to death,” Tea protested. “I’ve been very lenient to him these days, thank you very much.”

            “ _Ah, Tea, frisky as always, aren’t we?_ ”

            “You’re still the little squirt I always know. Don’t you forget that!” Tea grinned as she gave Yugi a noogie, earning a hearty chuckle by Yugi, Solomon and Yami.

            “How Marik treating you?” ‘Mrs.’ Ishtar asked. “Not bruising you again, I hope.”

            “ _And miss out mind-blowing sex? You’re kidding, right, Mom?_ ” Malik grinned naughtily, earning his ‘mother’s rolling eyes of defeat as a reply.

            “Please keep your private bed life to yourself, son,” Mr. Ishtar groaned. “And don’t overdo it. You have twins to think about.”

            “ _Don’t worry, Dad. Marik’s been very gentle,_ ” Malik replied. His parents definitely did not want to know his definition of ‘gentle’.

            “So how’s working under Lord Katz been for you?” ‘Mrs.’ Bakura asked Ryou who was carrying Shuu.

            “ _It was fine so far,_ ” Ryou replied. “ _Who would’ve thought that a Whisperer would be pregnant for exactly a year? It was a rather big hubbub when we first set foot into the Sky City as Whisperers after we consummate the deal and chose the transformation. He just collapsed all of a sudden and the birth took almost 4 hours._ ”

            “Yeah, I remember you telling me that he almost died of blood loss or something,” Mr. Bakura said as he cuddled Winchester and Tenenbaum. “So are he and his three pups still alright?”

            “ _Oh, they’re fine. Fit as a fiddle, I’d say. They’re really best friends with our kids, and being Lord Katz’s personal assistant handling all his paperwork was a breeze, although I’m still trying to get the hang of reading Whisperer language._ ”

            “Guys! Come on! Dinner’s gonna be cold if you don’t hurry up and tuck in!” Tea called as she popped the wine bottle open and poured everyone’s drink.

            “We’re coming!” Solomon replied and invited everyone to have their picnic dinner.

            As everyone chattered and ate merrily, the moon and stars continued to shine diligently for them, allowing them to savour the night of family togetherness before the morning sun makes it appearance to see them off home for another month.


End file.
